The Missing Pieces
by Snowflake Flower
Summary: A collection of oneshots. Benlie and Gwevin with the odd friendship fic. Ben takes out the white-gold ring in his pocket, feeling it between his callused fingers. He can barely see it in the moonlight, but he's already memorized everything about it.
1. You're My Fish?

**You're My Fish?**

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"How pretty!" Gwen gushed, bent over and peering into the store window.

The trio were doing some impromptu grocery shopping at Gwen's command, the redhead demanding they _walk_ to the store to be environmentally friendly. (How she ever got Kevin to agree to it, we shall never know.) During their trek, Gwen had randomly stopped in front of a store window and was now staring at a school of carps swimming around each other, looking almost like they were dancing. Ben and Kevin peered over her shoulder, interested in what she was looking at until they actually saw the object of her fascination.

"A fish?" Kevin deadpanned, scoffing and backing away, crossing his arms. "What's so great about that?" He paused and thought for a second, a devilish smirk painting over his face. "Unless… you're thinkin' of cookin' it." His tongue darted out, wetting his lips in thought of fish for dinner, but Gwen abruptly straightened and glowered at him, hands planted on her hips in that know-it-all way of hers.

"They're called _koi_, and I won't let you eat them!" She hissed. "They're Japanese carp, and they're a very respected symbol of friendship in Japan. Do you really want to eat something as important as that?" Her tone was accusatory, and one would think she was Japanese by the offended tinge in her voice. But Kevin, being Kevin, simply scoffed again.

"They're just some stupid fish!" He argued, pointing in frustration at a koi who swam right up to the window, its orange and white scales glittering brilliantly in the light. "What's so great about that?" Gwen let out a noise of frustration, throwing her hands up in the air as she wondered why of all the men on earth did she have to be in love with the most insensitive one.

As the two alien-humans argued with each other, Ben was curiously staring at the fish that had swum right up to the glass. He marvelled at the beautiful scales reflecting the suns rays, like crystals that were glued onto the skin of the koi. Hesitantly, the teenager tapped the glass, and the koi seemed to feel the vibrations, circling around before stopping once more near the glass, it's black eyes locked onto Ben's green ones.

"You tactless, cruel—Ben?" The Tennyson looked over, seeing her cousin mysteriously missing during her tirade at Kevin (and his mocking little gestures at her). He was nowhere to be seen, and she began to worry, her heart thumping in her chest at an increasingly fast rate. Ben disappearing was usually _not_ a good sign.

"Umm… Gwen?" Kevin spoke up, pointing to the inside of the pet store, where Ben was standing at the cash register. Gwen blinked, watching him until he exited the store, carrying two plastic bags in his hands. There was a wide smile on his face; like he had done something so totally awesome and great that the entire world should thank him for it. A smile that was very reminiscent of Ben when he was ten years old. And a smile that stemmed from a ten year old Ben was _never_ good news.

Well… until now.

"Here Gwen." The fifteen year old said cheerily, dropping a plastic bag into Gwen's hands. Inside of the clear plastic an orange and white carp swam around in circles, its fins swishing elegantly. Gwen cooed at the sight of the tiny koi, holding it to the level of her eyes as she watched it with fascination.

"Aw, Ben!" The carrier of the Omnitrix chuckled when his cousin leapt forward, giving him a huge hug for his thoughtfulness before whipping around to Kevin with a narrowing of her eyes. "Isn't that _nice_ Kevin? _Ben_ bought me a _koi_." The ex-delinquent rolled his eyes, shrugging nonchalantly.

"Yeah, sure, _nice_." He muttered, before tapping his foot impatiently. "Now can we go? I'm gonna starve to death if I wait for you two saps any longer."

Ben tried not to laugh when Kevin began to walk ahead and Gwen's leg shot out at his ankles to trip him just as an attractive woman walked past. He landed unceremoniously on the sidewalk, flushing red when the woman giggled at him as she passed.

"What did you say, Kevin?" Gwen asked, feigning innocence as she started ahead, passing by him. Kevin's hand snapped out to encircle her ankle and trip her, but she was too quick, hopping away and smirking down at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes. The ex-delinquent just glowered at her as she continued walking away, swiftly getting to his feet before sending Ben a sharp glance of warning.

Ben just smiled and looked down at the silver koi swimming happily around in his plastic bag.

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_Pok._

_Pok._

_Pok._

"Hey Yamamoto! Practice is over; go home!"

Julie looked up from her crouched position, her hand lifting up to catch the tennis ball flying directly at her. It landed smoothly in her palm, and she turned around to salute her coach with it, smiling. "Yes coach!" she replied, a bead of sweat making a trail from her temple to her chin, dripping off to land on the towel she brought up to her face.

Tennis practice had been over about a half and hour ago, but Julie supposed she had been so caught up in her training that she lost track of time. She took a swig of her water bottle, throwing her towel around her shoulders before packing her things into her bag. She didn't notice Ben sneaking up behind her until he called out her name with a cheerful smile.

"Hey Julie."

She jumped, spinning around and accidentally dousing him with water as she gasped in surprise. "Ben!" She exclaimed, her bottle dropping as she saw his soaked profile and his grimacing smile. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" Quickly grabbing a towel, Julie began to dab his face free of water for him until he took it himself, chuckling in mirth.

"No, no, it's my fault for scaring you like that." He reasoned, rubbing the towel haphazardly along his hair with a grin. When Ben handed it back to her, Julie couldn't help giggling as she saw the various locks of his hair sticking up in spontaneous directions. She put her towel away, reaching up to help smooth his brown locks as another small apology. And it wasn't as if Ben didn't mind having his girlfriend running her hands through his hair.

"So what are you doing here?" Julie asked, combing her fingers gently through his bangs even though she had cleared away all the cowlicks. Ben seemed to figure out her intentions, and he simply wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him with a goofy grin on his face. That is, until Julie yelped and backed away. "No, Ben!" She scolded him, grabbing her towel. "I totally reek! At least let me go shower first." And Ben sighed, waving her away with his hand. She took off with a short peck to his cheek, and the teenage boy sat down on the bench to wait for his girlfriend.

In her haste to leave, and her surprise at seeing him there, the bag Ben was hiding went by Julie's notice, and Ben picked it up with a happy grin, setting it beside him on the bench very carefully. He unzipped the semi-circled bag, peering inside to see a four centimetre silver koi swimming around happily inside of a fish bowl, dancing in the water excitedly. Ben was planning to give this to Julie as a sort of… thank you present for sticking with him for so long, even through the Highbreed war. Kind of like an anniversary present, but less formal.

Zipping the bag back up, Ben hummed in contentment as he leaned forward, cushioning his face with his hands as he waited for his girlfriend. She didn't take long, running out of the change rooms in her customary pink sweater and white skirt as she went to greet him. Absentmindedly, Ben wished she didn't wear such a short skirt; maybe then the guys would stop gaping at her legs every time she walked by.

"So what's up, Ben?" Julie asked him after he gave her an incredibly affectionate hug (to make up for the one she had refused to give him earlier). Not to say the Japanese-American wasn't satisfied, but it seemed to her like he was acting significantly more tender today, letting his hands linger on her waist when she pulled back from their embrace. Actually, scratch that. He was keeping his hands on her waist, period!

"Well, I have something for you." Ben said cheekily, his hands on her hips guiding her to the bench where he placed the bag. Julie's mouth dropped when she saw it, and she looked up to him with a slight frown in her eyes (and the rest of her body).

"Ben, you didn't have to get me anything." She admonished him. But there was a curiosity in her eyes that the Tennyson didn't miss at all, which only made him grin wider. Sighing, Julie let Ben place her beside the bag before he sat opposite of her, ushering her to open it with his green eyes sparkling in excitement.

Julie laughed at his enthusiasm, before complying with him and unzipping the bag. She peeled the sides of the fabric down, her eyes going wide as she looked at the little silver carp swimming happily up against the glass of the fish bowl.

"Ben!" Julie exclaimed, placing her hands on the sides of the glass. "You got me a _koi_?!" Vaguely, she reminded herself that there was no way Ben really knew the other meaning of koi, which meant that this gift didn't mean what she wanted it to mean. But she didn't really think of that a lot at this moment, because words seemed to escape her at that point as she went back and forth from looking at the koi to looking at her boyfriend. Ben just nodded, chuckling.

"I got one for Gwen too, if you were wondering. She was looking at it in the pet store window, and she said that they were these Japanese carps. So I immediately thought of you!" His smile was bursting with exuberance, and Julie didn't have it in her to be at least slightly angry at him when his green eyes were so abundant with joy. So she simply leaned forward, kissing him soundly on the lips and smiling at the dumbfounded look on his face when she backed away.

"Whoa." He said finally after staying silent for a few seconds. "If that's how you're going to react every time I give you a koi, I'm going to buy you one everyday!" He said, laughing. Julie blushed a pretty pink, and she laughed with him, looking down at the silver carp in the fish bowl.

"Shall we take this little guy to his new home?" Julie asked with a smile on her face, holding it up in her hands and watching the sunlight play off the silver scales of the Japanese carp. Ben agreed, letting his girlfriend put the bowl into the bag again before they set off, fingers entwined.

Julie looked up at Ben's face that had a little grin playing at his lips. She felt a warmth swell in her heart, trickling down to her toes and flooding out to her fingers. Julie started feeling this way for a long time whenever she was around Ben, and for a while she didn't know why. But after he gave her what he thought was a totally and completely random fish, never knowing the true meaning of it, Julie at long last realized what she was feeling all this time.

"Hey Ben?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't think I've told you this… but you're my _koi_."

"… Julie, did you just call me your fish?"

She couldn't help it; she laughed.

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**END**

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A/N_ Something random that I came up with when I learned that "koi" in Japanese has several different meanings. That, and I desperately wanted to write a Ben/Julie. XD (Oh, and I added a little something for Gwen/Kevin fans.)

For those who don't know, "koi" does mean "fish", but it can also mean "love".

Snowflake Flower


	2. Happy Birthday

**Happy Birthday**

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The portal closed with a brief flash of yellow light, blinding the three Tennysons for a moment before they quickly regained their bearings (a skill developed over years of fighting). Ben stared almost longingly at the vacant space where the portal formerly stood, thinking back to those naïve, innocent times with a slight grimace. He would trade almost anything of his life now in order to go back to that time and be able to rewrite it all, so that maybe—

"Grandpa Max, happy birthday!"

Whipping around so fast his neck almost snapped, Ben's green eyes caught sight of a petite, raven-haired woman riding on a black and green lightboard, which promptly changed into a little mechomorph when she hopped off of it and onto headquarters. It slithered alongside her as she neared the trio, her eyes widening after she caught sight of Ben standing there with a guilty and sheepish look on his face.

"Ben!" She exclaimed. He smiled warmly at the sound of his name coming from her lips, the feeling undeniably like coming home.

"Julie." He murmured reverently when she got close enough, swooping down to bestow an intense and apologetic kiss to her mouth. His large hands were pressed against her small cheeks, slowly sliding down to her shoulders and then further downwards to encircle her waist, pulling her flush against him with enormous strength. Julie was surprised, but it wasn't long before her thin arms reached up, entangling her slim hands in his brown hair and sighing happily when he finally broke apart from her.

"Wow…" She muttered, blushing furiously as Ben grinned smugly at her, his brown locks tousled from her fingers. But then Gwen cleared her throat loudly from behind them, and Julie jumped back from the hero to giggle nervously. "I mean, hi Gwen! Hi Grandpa Max; happy birthday!"

"Hello Julie, I'm glad you came." Max said cheerily, stepping forward to hug the Japanese woman. She was almost swallowed in his build, being much smaller than him and much shorter. But it didn't seem to deter her, as she reached up out of his embrace to hug his neck in a grand-daughterly manner.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." The woman said, reaching into her pocket to produce a gift-cube, smiling when he took it and set it down with all the other gift-wrapped presents. As he did that, Julie was quickly taken aside by Ben's hand reaching out and ensnaring her wrist, dragging her a few feet away. "Ben?" She asked in puzzlement, turning to face when him when rubbed the back of his head anxiously.

"Julie, I just… I want to apologize for… for not… being there." He said, his green eyes flickering upwards to lock with her chocolate brown ones. Julie could see the slew of remorse and guilt swimming in them, a total contrast to the warm feeling that spread through her chest. She reached up with her tiny hand, resting it gently and lovingly on Ben's cheek before rising on her tiptoes to kiss him soundly.

"There was never any need for apologies." She admonished him lightly, burying her face in his chest. He tried to protest, but Julie looked up to him, her head shaking ever so slightly in order to get him to stop. "You're a _hero_, Ben. When I married you, I _knew_ what I was getting into. I knew you would be working a lot, and you probably wouldn't have lots of time for me, but I _love_ you, Ben. I can handle it."

The truth was, Julie _could_ handle it, but just… not right now. Not when—

"Hey, Tennyson! Did that stick stuck up your ass finally come out, or are you here because there aren't any more criminals for you to throw in the Null Void?"

There was an audible groan from Ben's mouth as his eyes flashed to a broad-shouldered, black-haired man landing on headquarters in a green car striped with black. He stepped out of his ride, a proud and arrogant grin on his face that could have made him a criminal himself. It stayed there even after Gwen had run over to him, throwing her arms around his shoulders and kissing him briefly on the cheek.

"Nice to see you too, Kevin." Ben replied, sarcasm dripping from every syllable of his voice. Kevin E. Levin just smirked in satisfaction, his daily dose of annoying Ben having been fulfilled. Now, he turned to Max, smirking and gesturing to the trunk of his car. Gwen slapped his chest in a vain (and silent) effort to tell him to get Max's gift himself, and _then_ present it to him, but the ex-delinquent just shrugged, instead opting to bend down and place a passionate kiss to his girlfriend's lips.

"Ugh…" Ben groaned, looking away from the grotesque sight of his cousin kissing a man he considered his best friend and his worst enemy all at the same time. Julie just giggled quietly from below him, finding the scene sweet but knowing better than to tell Ben her thoughts.

"Shut it, Ben." Kevin growled after finishing locking lips with Gwen. "Not every couple has their first kiss during their _wedding_." Ben flushed a furious red, breaking away from Julie to glare ominously at the ex-delinquent, his hand instinctively hovering above the Omnitrix. Kevin responded in kind, his hand resting on the metal of his car, cloaking his entire body green.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Gwen exclaimed, running between the two of them. Julie followed her example, standing back-to-back with the Anodite in order to placate her husband, who was gravitating away from his watch now that his wife was standing in his way. Kevin also responded similarly, letting the metal fade from his body when Gwen gave him a particularly scathing look. "Now what did we talk about?" Kevin sighed exasperatedly.

"Every couple is different, and we shouldn't compare their relationship to ours. Even though ours is _obviously_ the better one." Gwen's red eyebrow rose at the extra bit he tacked onto the end of his sentence, glowering at him but not doing much else. She supposed there was only so much she could push him before he began throwing his own ideas into the mix. He was, after all, a rebel at heart.

"Ben…" Julie said, her tone threatening when Ben decided to stay silent at Kevin's proclamation and (sort-of) apology. The hero sighed helplessly, shoving his hands into his pockets and turning his head away to keep from looking at anyone. It was obvious this was something he didn't agree with, but he said it nevertheless, a tinge of amusement colouring his tone.

"And I shouldn't blame Kevin for having commitment issues."

"I do not have commitment issues!" Kevin replied, indignant. Ben turned to him, his eyebrow raised in that "you really want to argue with me?" way. The ex-delinquent gritted his teeth, backing down and muttering, "I mean yeah, Ben shouldn't blame me for having… _commitment_ issues." He pouted after finishing his sentence, the frown not lifting even when Gwen had given him a peck on the cheek as a thank you. Julie did the same, but her husband reacted in a similar way.

"Now we've wasted enough time already." Gwen scolded, turning to grandpa Max, who was waiting patiently by his birthday table. "It's Grandpa Max's eightieth birthday! We should be celebrating!" Grabbing Julie's hand, Gwen dragged her off to start cutting the cake, laughing and singing the birthday song at the top of their voices. Ben and Kevin looked at each other, before they both smirked and joined in, their voices louder than all the rest.

"—happy _birthday_ to Grandpa Max, happy birthday to _you_!!!"

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"Ship ship!"

Julie laughed, crouched low to the ground as she danced around with Ship. They were outside Grandpa Max's motor home, dancing to the music playing on the speakers. Grandpa Max was talking with some of his plumber friends, laughing up a storm as they reminisced the "good ole days". Gwen and Kevin had escaped the party hours ago, no doubt heading home for some couple time, which Julie didn't seem to have enough of.

Which reminded her; where was Ben?

Stopping her little dance with Ship, Julie turned her head up to scope the room for her hero husband, a blossoming of worry appearing in her heart when she could not see hide or hair of him. Ship seemed to notice her abrupt emotional change, whimpering and curling around her legs.

"Grandpa Max?" Julie said, walking over to the ex-plumber chatting happily with his friends. He looked up, all smiles at the Asian woman when she called out his name. Originally, Julie was planning to ask him where Ben could've gone, but the look in his face was so jovial that Julie couldn't bring herself to concern him with her own worries. So instead, she smiled at him and rose on her tippy toes, planting a short kiss to his cheek. "I'm going to head home now. It's late, and Ship seems tired." His smile didn't deflate, but he did try to convince her to stay.

"Are you sure? I can just ask someone else to drive you back." He reasoned, but Julie shook her head and chuckled, hugging him briefly.

"No, that's okay. I have a big day at the lab tomorrow anyways; I should probably get to bed." He acquiesced, waving goodbye to her as she left the yard of the Rust Bucket. Ship slithered alongside her, remaining quiet as he changed to lightboard mode and she hopped on him. He didn't make any noise even though he knew that this was not the usual route they took to head home, but rather a route to a place that Julie only went to on her worst days.

It was a place just outside of the city, where the grass still grew and trees still stood tall and proud. Everything was artificial, of course, but it was still probably the best place to put a graveyard.

"Shiip." The little mechomorph droned, transforming back to his normal shape when Julie's feet landed on the lush grass. He slithered away, taking refuge under a tree, as was the norm during Julie's treks to the cemetery. Julie let him be, staring forward to the path that would lead her inevitably to where she needed to be. She set out on the dirt path, hearing the dirt crunching under her shoes and feeling the soft wind blowing chills down her spine.

Julie never liked this place. She despised it even more when the tiny grave came into view, blocked by the form of her husband, Benjamin Tennyson.

The moon was especially bright that night, flickering shadows everywhere, casting an eerie aura throughout the cemetery, though Julie supposed that was the norm. All cemeteries felt like that to her. She supposed that the unsettled feeling in her heart were caused by the grave she stood in front of, and the man kneeling in front of the grave with the haunted gaze shadowed on his face.

"I'm sorry for not being there." He said, repeating his words from hours earlier. Julie understood the meaning behind his apology; she had always known what he was saying sorry for, but the occasion of Max's birthday had allowed her to push back those negative feelings rushing through her heart now. However, she had left the party, and was now surrounded by the melancholy aura of the graveyard closing in around her. It was inevitable for the tears to drip slowly down her pale, sunken cheeks.

"It doesn't matter now, does it Ben?" She said, keeping her distance from him and the grave. But Ben didn't like her answer, and he whirled around to look at her with a livid flash of fury in his body.

"_It does!_" He exclaimed, standing up. "I left you _alone_, Julie. During that one time I should've been there for you, I _wasn't_. And I'm _so sorry_." For a strange reason she wasn't able to decipher, a surge of hot, violent rage swam through Julie's veins, making her grit her teeth and clench her fists. She couldn't help the renewal of those angry tears sliding down her face, dotting her pink shirt dark.

"Sorry?" Julie asked, her body quivering uncontrollably. "_Sorry?!_" Her arms lashed out into the air and Ben closed his eyes, accepting the hits she landed on his chest. "_Sorry_ doesn't cut it, Ben! _Sorry_ doesn't heal the scar on my stomach. _Sorry_ won't bring _our son back!_"

She collapsed into a hysterical fit of tears, allowing her husband to gather her in his arms, stroking her long hair with his hand and letting him pepper the crown of her head with kisses. Julie couldn't think about much else besides the unbearable pain in her heart, emotionally tearing her limb-from-limb as she made out the name engraved in the tombstone through her blurry eyes.

_Here lies Kenneth Tennyson,_

_The child denied entrance into life._

"May Vilgax rot in all seven hells." Julie sobbed out, adding onto the two lines from the tombstone. Her hands pressed against the area just below her stomach, and she could almost feel the fatal scar there from under her clothes. It burned hot, as it always did when Julie came to the cemetery to pay her respects to the child she never gave birth to.

To any children she would've given birth to.

"He is, Julie. I swear he is." Ben said, saying soothing things to his wife, but unable to stop his own tears running down his face. He tried to forget the memories of that faithful night Vilgax had attacked him in his own home, but being near the grief of his wife and his deceased, unborn child, Ben wasn't able to do anything but relive that horrible day all over again.

...

_The alarm sounded through the control centre, blaringly loud as Ben sat quickly up in the king-size bed, his green eyes narrowed in cold hard determination. A blue screen popped up in front of him, flashing red as "INTRUDER ALERT" blinked menacingly into his gaze. Not many of his enemies could access his home so easily, and a foreboding feeling tunnelled into his heart when he turned to his right, finding the space beside him vacant._

"_Julie!"_

_He scrambled from his bed quickly, the blue screen following his movements as he ran out the door, dialling numbers into the keypad on the screen with desperation. It rang for two trills, before a mini screen popped up in the top-right corner._

"_Ben?" Gwen murmured blearily from the little video-com. She had clearly just woken up, but her sleepy nature was quickly giving way to sharp focus as soon as she saw the panicked expression on her cousin's face. "What is it?" Her voice was urgent now, and even without explanations she understood the gravity of the situation at hand. _

"_Headquarters." Ben said, approaching a corner in his home and getting prepared to turn around it, "Get over here __**now**__ Gwen, both you and Kevin. There's a break-in, and I can't find Julie—" his voice cut off when he finally rounded the corner with a skid, every reaction in his brain shutting down as the sight greeting his eyes sent clumps of ice crashing through his body._

"_**JULIE!!!**__"_

_She was curled up on the ground on her side, blood pouring at an astonishing rate out of her stomach, coating the floor crimson with her blood. She heard her name falling from his lips, and opened her brown eyes slowly to see him hovering above her, turning her body until she lay on her back. She felt his hands pressing on her stomach, trying to quell the bleeding. It was only then that she remembered what had happened._

_"Ben…" She croaked out, grasping at his pyjama shirt with a fierce grip. "Ben, I can't feel him anymore!" She sobbed, the tears adding salt to her open wound even though they fell nowhere near her physical injury. "I can't… I CAN'T FEEL HIM ANYMORE!!" Her hands slapped his away, and she curled up on her side once more, pressing her already bloodied hands into her stomach. "Kenny…my baby… my baby, oh god, my baby!"_

_And then he remembered the eight-month old, unborn child that was supposed to be resting happily in Julie's womb. __**Supposed**__ to be._

"_Oh God. Oh please God, please no!"_

"_Indeed, that is how you should rightly address me."_

_Ben's head lifted up, his eyes filled to the brim with tears as they hardened with fury._

"_Vilgax…" _

_The Chimera's eyes narrowed in cruel victory, his tentacles bristling with excitement at seeing the great Ben 10k's tears. His clawed hand rose, almost in presentation to the hero, whose eyes widened impossibly at the red dripping down the alien's arms. It led his green eyes up to the mass of blood and flesh encased in his enemy's claw. And from it, Ben could vaguely make out a body with little arms and legs and a tiny head curled down into a tinier chest. _

_Vilgax smiled cruelly, the arm that held the mass of flesh tensing._

"_Vilgax… Vilgax, __**NO**__—"_

_His laugh reverberated through the entire city as his claws curled straight through the body of he who was to be Kenneth Tennyson._

...

The clock struck twelve, and the large tower on which it was situated chimed three times. Ben broke from his memories, looking up to the looming structure as it cast a large shadow over the ground. Buried in his chest, Julie's sobs stifled to sniffles, and she pushed back from him to crawl over to the grave of her unborn son, clinging to the stone with more tears.

"Kenny…" She whimpered, stroking his name etched in the grave marker and pressing a light kiss to the top of the tomb, a rainfall of tears joining them. Ben watched her for a moment, observing the dishevelled locks of her black hair and her bloodshot eyes with a pang of remorse in his heart. She was unnaturally skinny, even more so than usual, and he lamented in his ignorance of her suffering.

Ben started forward, joining her on the opposite side of the tomb, brushing a few stray locks of her hair from her cheek and feeling her cool, alabaster skin. The chill of it almost singed his fingers, and he wondered how Julie could lay her hand right on the icy top of the smooth grave. But it didn't matter to him now, and he lowered to his knees, laying his own hand on top of hers, letting her fingers entangle with his as both of their heads bowed. Tears sprinkled from their eyes, dropping onto the tombstone and dripping over the edge. They made a trail of wet tears further and further downwards.

Through the name engraved in the stone.

Through the words engraved in the stone.

Through the _date_ engraved in the stone.

'_Happy birthday to you… Happy birthday to you… Happy birthday dear Kenny, happy birthday to you…_'

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**END**

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A/N_ So, this is sort of post-Ben 10, 000. (Ken 10 never happened.) I wanted an explanation for why Ben ripped Vilagx to shreds in the episode, and I'm a huge Benlie fan, so I wanted to shove Julie in the future-Ben 10 world. And Kevin too, cause I adore Gwevin. Sorry if it was depressing.

Please review! I'll give you a cookie?

Snowflake Flower


	3. The Way I Used To Be

**The Way I Used To Be**

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_His lips were chapped and rough against her softer, moist ones. But the kiss was gentle, almost like she would break easily under his hands as he swept her up in his large embrace. The longer strands of his black hair fell over his shoulders, tickling her face and prompting her to smile against the touch of their lips. _

_He eased her onto the bed, their kiss breaking shortly so she could cup his face in her hands, smiling with adoration at him. His hand reached out, caressing her face lightly before his fingertips slid with feather-light caresses down to her collarbone, where the chain of her necklace was hanging leisurely. She reached down, covering his hand with her own._

_He smiled, and she laughed at the callused sensation of his human skin against hers when he moved forwards, embracing her fully. Even after his "condition" had been fixed, she had kept the beautiful locket he bestowed on her, unable to stand the feeling of never wearing it. Of never holding something of such significance so close to her heart. _

_As he momentarily sat up to discard his shirt, she recalled those words he spoke to her so long ago._

'_I wanted you to have something to remember me by… the way I used to be.'_

'… _remember me… the way I used to be…''_

'… _**the way I used to be**__…'_

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Gasping, Gwen awoke in her bed, rivulets of sweat making a steady trail down her temple, cutting through her cheek to collect at her jaw and drip silently off. She didn't bother with them, attempting to steady her unsteady breath as she spied into the darkness of the room. There wasn't much she could make out, other than the sound of her alarm sounding off just as her breathing had calmed to something normal enough.

Reaching out and grasping the alarm, Gwen crushed it in her hands to shut it off, her entire body shaking with the remnants of her dream. Why, of all nights, did she have to dream of _that_ day. That dreadful, wonderful, horrible, incredible day that was practically etched into her very soul.

Exhaling all of her confused emotions in a shaky breath, Gwen quickly stood up, running a brush through her hair to untangle the knots and secure it into a high ponytail. She was already wearing her outfit for the day (a blue shirt and tight black pants), figuring the less time spent getting ready, the faster she would be at capturing that damn red dragon. She was missing Kenny's tenth birthday, damn it! Gwen had waited _so_ _long_ to see the look on Ben's face when his own son defied his rules (just like he had done so many years ago).

Breathing deeply, Gwen flicked the lights of her room on, grimacing at the sparseness of it all. She was used to having her paraphernalia scattered neatly on desks and end tables and bookshelves. One would think after so many years of off-world missions that she would be used to it, but the Anodite wasn't. So, checking her hair to make sure nothing was out of place, Gwen quickly found her centre, searching out for the familiar aura of her first-cousin-once-removed and his father.

She smirked when she found it, opening her eyes and seeing the young, dark-skinned and dark-haired boy with his back to her.

"_Kenneth Tennyson_…"

...

...

...**  
**

Ben yawned, stretching languidly as he entered his headquarters, a light smirk playing at his lips. The day had worked out splendidly, if he had to say so himself while plopping onto the couch. Kenny got a taste of the dangers of hero work, and he had made sure his son hadn't injured himself in any way. Hopefully, Kenny would suddenly decide that hero work wasn't for him, and quit, but even Ben knew that wasn't happening. Ever.

"Hi Ben. How was your day?"

The original Omnitrix bearer looked up, the back of his head leaning on the top of his couch as he smiled brightly at the face that came into view.

"Julie! You're back!"

The black-haired woman smiled, laughing slightly as she gave him an upside down kiss, playing with the short locks of his hair. "Yes, I am." She replied, climbing onto the couch to snuggle into her husband, unable to help the smile stretching across her face when Ben threw an arm around her shoulders, kissing her hair. "But you didn't answer my question. How was your day?"

Ben went off on a long anecdote of the day's events, making a mock-disgusted face when Gwen's appearance was mentioned. Julie slapped him in the shoulder for that, but the smile on her face betrayed her obvious amusement at the long-going immaturity that Ben seemed to react with whenever Gwen was concerned. Her face remained carefully blank when she heard of the escapades of Kenny with his new Omnitrix, but Ben could see the relief in her dark eyes as he told her their son was totally unharmed (thanks to him).

"Well, you seem to have had an exciting day." Julie said, smiling as she stood, Ben following her movements with his arms loosely wrapped around her waist. "Lucky for you. All Ship and I did was sit at boring old political meetings and negotiate whether or not to do a festival about popcorn or the great Ben 10k." She smirked. "I voted popcorn."

Ben's jaw dropped comically, and he pretended to have been hit straight in the heart with a plasma blast, making choking noises and clutching at the pretend wound in his chest. Julie just laughed at her husband, slapping his arm to get him to stop before turning to walk towards the kitchen.

"I've already made dinner. Call Kenny for me, would you?" Ben saluted her, his fingers pressing away at his Omnitrix as Julie disappeared behind an automatic sliding door. Kenny's face soon came out on his little circular screen, and he adopted what he liked to call his, "father" tone.

"Kenny? Dinnertime."

...

...

...**  
**

Kenneth Tennyson stomped into his home (or what other people call, "headquarters"), the corners of his lips turned down in a frown. The present Aunt Gwendolyn gave him had started to run around his legs, panting excitedly because he was back, although still not in the best of moods. But then Kenny noticed something black and green hopping across the room to greet him, the lines of his body glowing faintly.

"Ship!" Kenny exclaimed excitedly, rushing forward to pet the Mechomorph's smooth head. "You're here! Then… that means—"

"Hi Kenny. Happy birthday."

"Mom!" Kenny cried excitedly, his mouth curling up into a huge smile as he saw the Japanese woman walk out of the kitchen. The young boy ran to her, his arms circling her stomach to hug her happily. Julie laughed when he did, her hands coming down on his brown hair in motherly affection.

"I take it you had a good birthday?" She asked him, only to see his face fall. Her gaze turned sympathetic, having heard it all from his father only minutes before. Julie pulled back from him, stroking his hair in comfort when his green eyes deflected to the floor. "Or not…" she corrected, before pretending to think hard about something. "But… I think I can change that…"

Kenny looked up, his eyes so hopeful and excited that Julie couldn't help but laugh. She hummed thoughtfully, tapping her chin as she feigned forgetting where she put that thing… Her hands started to pat her clothes, searching for something. "I swear I put it somewhere…" She muttered to herself, until Kenny became impatient.

"Mom!" He whined, and Julie laughed before bringing her fingers to her mouth and whistling. Ship perked up, hearing his master's call and slithering over to the petite Asian woman.

"Ship ship!" He said, before his body began to wriggle around a little. A gift-cube popped out, and Julie gestured for Kenny to take it. The ten-year old did so with excitement, grasping it in his hands and wasting no time in pressing the large red button at the top. It levitated, flickering in his hands before morphing into the familiar structure of a video game.

"Awesome!" Kenny cried, staring at the title. "It's the new Samurai Smashers game!" Julie smiled maternally as he watched him fiddle with it, remarking to Gwen's gift about the awesomeness of the game, and how cool the main character was, et cetera. Kenny was so engrossed in his mom's present that he didn't hear his father come into the room.

"Samurai Smashers?" Ben asked, a jesting grin on his face. "Hah! Nothing is ever gonna beat the Sumo Slammers." Julie stood, rolling her eyes and placing her hand on her hips in exasperation at her husband. Kenny quieted, looking up to his dad before narrowing his eyes. For a moment, Julie was worried that Kenny was still holding a grudge from the day's events, until her son's face broke out in a mischievous, cocky smirk reminiscent of his father.

"Puh-lease! The Sumo Slammers are like, ancient! The Samurai Smashers wouldn't even _touch_ them before they crumbled to dust." Kenny argued, smirking a little. Ben rose an eyebrow, remarking, "oh really?" before Julie decided it was best to just quietly walk away. Of her own accord, the Japanese-American couldn't help but shake her head in amusement, sighing at her boys arguing over a _video game_ of all things.

...

...

...**  
**

It was quiet. Ship enjoyed the silence where he was settled at the foot of the large, king-sized bed. Usually, the stillness of the house would have put him to sleep already, and he would be blissfully sleeping near Julie's feet, his slightly harsh breath coming out in the syllables of his name. But something seemed to unsettle the Galvanic Mechomorph tonight, as his circular face was glowing faintly green in the dark room.

"Shiip… shiip…"

For a moment, that was the only tangible thing that was heard in the darkness, until a voice began to blare over the intercom system embedded into the control centre.

"_Intruder Alert_._ Intruder Alert_."

Rising from his dreamless sleep with a jolt, Ben's hard eyes scanned the room, finding nothing out of the ordinary except Ship's growling growing louder. The lights flickered on; dim in order to help his human eyes adjust to the bright light that they would encounter outside. Julie woke up slightly slower than her husband, rubbing the sleep from her eyes before her concerned focus quickly came into effect.

"Ben?" She asked, her question meaning so much more than a simple call of his name. Ben didn't look at her at first, scanning the room before he brought her close, turning his face to let his green eyes look deeply into her brown ones. Her lips parted a little, and small hands reached up to skim his cheeks. He leaned into her touch, as if he was savouring this last moment with her.

"Stay here, Julie." Ben told her, his voice quiet but firm.

"But Kenny—"

"I'll protect him." He said, cutting her off. "He'll be fine. And if I don't let him help out, he'll hate me forever." A slight grin took hold of his face, and Julie couldn't help smiling with him. She pulled his face down gently, their mouths meeting in a sweet kiss. Ben's lips lingered on hers for a short second, before he pulled away fully. "Don't worry, it's probably nothing." He assured, but then turned to Ship with strangely hard eyes. "Keep her safe, boy."

Ship droned at him with his harsh voice, as if remarking that Ben didn't even have to ask. And when the Omnitrix bearer stood up, his vibrant orange-red pyjamas almost like a lighthouse in the midst of a dark storm, Ship slithered into Julie's lap. She stroked her hands along his tiny body, watching Ben walk out the door, hopefully to return.

...

...

...**  
**

Gwen landed on the airship dock, exiting the relatively small spaceship vehicle with a stretch of her arms and a long, relieved sigh. The air on Zorastar was stuffy and humid, not something that was particularly enjoyable to Gwen for extended periods of time. The clear atmosphere of Earth was exactly what she craved, and it was infinitely refreshing to be back on her home planet.

Checking the date (it was already a week after Kenny's birthday), Gwen unclipped her lightboard from her utility belt, expanding it and then hopping on to make her way back to headquarters. Usually, she would just fly using the magical charms she took from Hex, but the Anodite was simply too lazy today, and decided to leave the work to something else instead.

With the wind blowing her long ponytail back, her feet firmly buried in her board, Gwen couldn't help letting her eyes travel through the city she called home, smiling softly to herself. She weaved through obstacles, making a mock-disgusted face at the large statue of Ben that towered over the civilians walking below it.

"I suppose immaturity runs in the family?"

Jumping with a gasp, Gwen whirled over to see Julie laughing and waving at her, sitting leisurely on a lightboard Ship. Her short black hair was messing itself up in the breeze, but the Japanese-American didn't seem to mind all that much. It was almost like she welcomed it, tipping her head back to let the wind ruffle her short locks some more. Gwen just stared strangely at her, an eyebrow rising.

"Don't even joke about that, Julie." Gwen said, her tone slightly offended (but undeniably joke-like). "Ben and I are _nothing_ alike. He _still_ calls me a doofus. Can you believe that? It's like he never grew up or something!" Julie just smiled, listening to Gwen rant about her cousin and delighting in the normality of the situation that was anything but normal.

"Gwen." Julie said, cutting the redhead off suddenly. Her voice was quiet and sombre, holding such an intense note of seriousness in it that Gwen couldn't help but stop mid-sentence. Ominous dark clouds started to haze her heart, and she lowered herself carefully to sit on her lightboard.

"What is it Julie?" Gwen asked. "Is there something wrong with Kenny?" The Anodite had heard that tone from Julie many times enough to know she was bothered by something concerning her boys (Ben or Kenny). What Gwen didn't know, though, was that the collection of 'her boys' recently expanded to include one more…

"Do you still wear it?" Julie asked, her body language carefully blank as she saw Gwen's body tense for a slight moment before flooding away. They stared each other in the eyes, brown against green, empty against empty. It looked like a staring contest to those who were unknowing, but Julie and Gwen knew that it was so much more. That it was a contest of wills.

"Wear what?" Gwen asked nonchalantly, the green never breaking off from the brown. Julie's head tilted slightly to the side, but still the eye contact did not sever.

"That cute golden locket from a couple years ago."

Gwen blinked, the only indication of any reaction to the hidden necklace around her neck. "A couple" was an understatement, she thought. More like a decade.

"Oh, that old thing?" Gwen asked, smiling lightly. The quirk of her lips dispelled the battle of wills, and Julie was forced to admit defeat (for now). "It's probably buried all the way at the bottom of my jewellery box, which is stuffed somewhere in my closet. Necklaces aren't exactly the smartest things to wear when you're fighting a group of rogue aliens." Her grin became teasing, but Julie could still spot the sparkle of part of a chain peeking out from Gwen's shirt.

"I figured as much." Julie said, smiling easily. She had to approach this with caution, or else Gwen would clam up like an oyster hogging a shiny pearl. "Which reminds me, how was your mission? Did you catch the red dragon from the eighth pit of Navato?" Gwen smirked, going on a small anecdote about her capture of what humankind used to think of as a mystical creature. Julie sat and listened quietly to her, unable to help smiling at the similarity of the two cousins.

"—and now he's quietly back in his pit in Navato, tearing up a bunch of trees and picking fights with the _other_ three hundred dragons trapped down there." Gwen said, her tangent finishing with a bright smile and the exaggerated movements of her hands stilling. Julie chuckled a little when it finally ended, leaning back to support her weight on her hands.

"Wow, that must've been so much fun." She remarked, before pouting. "Ben would never let me do something like that. He treats me like Kenny sometimes; I swear it's one of his more annoying traits." Gwen just scoffed, crossing her arms and raising a perfectly plucked eyebrow.

"_One_ of his more annoying traits? _Everything_ Ben does is annoying! I still don't know how you can stand being married to him. Kai used to come complain—"

The Anodite cut herself off, her mouth dropping when she realized the words spilling out of her mouth. It prompted her to wince when her green eyes flickered to look at Julie's face, not sure what to think when she was met with nothing but nonchalance.

"Kai complained a lot?" Julie asked, her voice inquisitive. Gwen paused, not sure if she should continue talking, but figuring it wouldn't be so bad because the Japanese-American didn't seem all that deterred by the mention of her husband's deceased lover. In fact, aside from knowing that Kai had died giving birth to Kenny, Julie never really discovered much about the Native American. Ben had refused to talk about her at all, and Julie never pushed. She imagined the memories associated with Kai's death were never good ones.

"Kai… Kai and Ben were never really… at peace with one another during the majority of their relationship." Gwen said hesitantly, her eyes flicking around in paranoia that Ben would come crashing into her and pull her into a huge argument because she was telling Julie about his past with Kai. But Julie seemed unconcerned, her brown eyes looking to the side as she pondered Gwen's statement.

"You mean… they fought all the time?" She guessed, and the Anodite winced.

"Pretty much." The redhead admitted. "The only time they ever took a break from going at each other's throat was when Kai got pregnant. After that, Ben doted on her so much it was like watching a major gag-fest." She paused, her face scrunching up in disgust. "Never mind. It _was_ a major gag-fest." Julie snorted in laughter, stifling her mouth with one of her hands. Gwen smiled when she heard the other woman laugh, continuing on. "But after Kai died, Ben practically went insane. He shredded Vilgax to bits when the stupid alien decided it would be fun to taunt Ben about Kai." Her gaze softened as she remembered those dark times when her cousin was focused on nothing but protection of the city.

"And Kenny was left in the care of Ben's maid robots, whom I discovered when I was grocery shopping." Julie plodded on, knowing this part of the story well because it was where she had entered the hero's life rather rudely. A silly smile spread over her lips, infecting Gwen's mood with it as well as they both remembered Julie's rather loud outburst in the control centre. She had reprimanded Ben openly about taking care of his own flesh and blood, and not leaving it to a robot specialized in domestic chores.

"He had the nerve to suggest buying a nanny robot." Gwen scoffed, shaking her head at the utter obliviousness of her cousin. Julie laughed, nodding her head. The two of them fondly reminisced about Julie's utter bewilderment when Ben had offered his solution to the problem. She had come _so_ close to kicking him where it hurt the most before shamelessly complaining that she could not leave dear little Kenny in the care of his negligent father.

"You should've seen the look on his face!" Julie guffawed. "I swear that before that day, I never imagined the great Ben10k could really go that purple in the face." Gwen laughed with her, their loud shrieks and giggles attracting attention from below. The two didn't notice how much noise they were making, though, until a voice popped up from behind Julie's lightboard.

"Hey, uh, Mrs. Tennyson? Mr. Tennyson told me to find you and give you your communicator. You forgot it again, and he wants you to call him as soon as you can."

The voice didn't ring any particular bells with Gwen, but his face surely did.

"Huh? Oh, hi Devlin. I'm sorry; did you spend all afternoon looking for me?" Julie smiled kindly at him, taking her communicator watch from his hand and tying it to her wrist. Devlin just rubbed the shaved part of his head sheepishly, looking down and flushing a very light pink.

"Uh, no, not really." He muttered, obviously telling a lie. "Anyways, I kind of have to go. Kenny promised to race me on his new board _without_ using the Omnitrix to cheat." He grinned widely here, excitement rampant through his gaze as his dark blue eyes twinkled. Julie just laughed, ruffling his messy bangs in affection.

"Be careful." She warned him as he readied his lightboard to take off. Devlin just nodded, clearly not planning on following that rule. Before he left, though, the ex-delinquent peered over past Julie's shoulder to smile unsurely at the Anodite sitting so still and so quiet it was almost like looking at a floating statue.

"Umm… bye." Devlin said, and Gwen could do nothing but nod her head once before he sped away. It was heart wrenching, like claws scratching out her patched heart as she watched him fade in the distance, his black hair flying freely behind him. Julie remained silent for a while when she turned back, her eyes softening from seeing the pale and stunned expression stamped on Gwen's face. The petite woman had expected the reaction, but dealing with it was another matter entirely.

"He escaped from the Null Void." Julie began delicately, pushing on when the Anodite didn't seem to react. "That is, Kevin did."

Gwen's head snapped up, and her hand shot to the locket buried under her blue shirt.

"Kevin?" She asked with a breathless whisper, eyes growing larger as the green of her orbs stared into the distance, where Devlin had disappeared. Julie could see the thoughts running millions of miles through her head, her hands trembling as they grasped at her shirt – no, her necklace.

"He tossed Devlin aside after he was free. After his own son helped him escape." Julie replied quietly, her brown eyes watching Gwen's form with careful caution. "We locked him in a Null Egg, and took Devlin in because he had nowhere to go." Gwen's head darted to the side, her lips pursing in emotional pain as her eyes squeezed shut. Julie reached out to her, trying to touch her shoulder in comfort. "Gwen… it isn't your fault."

"If I hadn't…" The tremble from her hands infected the chords in her throat, her voice shaking terribly as she scrambled to stand on her lightboard. "I'm sorry. I need… I need to be alone right now." And Julie stood on her lightboard as well, unable to stop the Anodite as she sped off into the distance.

...

...

...**  
**

Devlin whistled a nonsensical tune as he soared through the buildings, hands tucked in the pockets of his new black jeans. Joining the Tennyson family was like finally reaching the light at the end of the tunnel. Its warmth was so overwhelming that sometimes the eleven-year old boy just had to get away, which is what he was doing right now.

Devlin always felt at home when he was riding through the skies, the sensation of chilled air flowing over the shaved areas of his head. Before the days of the Tennysons', Devlin didn't have a roof over his head, or a father to come home to. That was because he had no home; just alleyways in the rougher parts of town. Nothing was ever concrete with him; nothing except the skies soaring above his head.

Devlin stopped in mid-air for a bit, his hands tucked in his pockets as he looked around casually. There was still some time before he had to go meet Ben at the starting point of their race, so the young boy passed by the time by performing some board tricks. It wasn't too long, though, before he saw the red-haired woman talking to Mrs. Tennyson flying by, her cheeks sparkling with tears.

Normally, Devlin didn't care too much about crying people. It was an after-effect of growing up in the slums; with that motto 'every man for himself'. But living with the Tennyson family had changed his views on people and affected him so much more emotionally than he thought they would. Now Devlin found himself feeling those sentimental emotions, like compassion, at an infinitely greater force.

So, feeling obligated to ask what was wrong to the woman associated with his new guardian, Devlin planted his shoes firmly on his board and zigzagged quietly towards the redhead, his hands still tucked in his pockets.

As he got closer, the young boy could start to pick out details he had never noticed before. Like the startling green of her eyes reflecting Kenny and Mr. Tennyson's. A golden locket was shakily, but delicately held in her fingers, and the tears that dripped from the corners of her eyes would reflect the picture in the locket for a split second. It disappeared too quickly for Devlin to see, though.

"Are you okay?" Devlin asked, sparking Gwen's head to shoot up and stare wide-eyed at him. The black-haired boy winced, rubbing the back of his neck. "No wait, stupid question." He muttered, averting his eyes. "Of course she isn't okay; she's crying." Well, just because his sense of compassion had increased didn't mean he knew how to go about being comforting.

Devlin looked over at Gwen, taking a deep breath and making sure his next question wasn't so obvious. He cleared his throat, stuffing his hands in his pockets again. "I mean, uh… is there… anything I can do?" He looked at her almost earnestly. "To help you feel better." Devlin added as an afterthought, before wincing at himself. He was _really_ not good at this.

Gwen stared at him for a while, struck by the blue of his eyes, and Devlin was dumbfounded when she began to cry again. The tears fell light raindrops from her green eyes, a single hand covering her mouth as she wept in silence. He started to panic a little, rubbing his head in an effort to spark it to think harder (and more efficiently). "Awe crap." Devlin muttered, rubbing his face with his hands. "I'm sorry for making you cry. I swear I didn't mean it! I don't even know what I did!"

Gwen looked up, her silent sobs halting as she cleared away the wet drops with her sleeves. The locket she wore was hidden under her shirt again, and unconsciously, her fingers reached up to press on the circular ornament through the fabric of her shirt.

"It's not… it's not your fault." She told him softly, alerting him. "You just… remind me of someone I love – _loved – _very much."

He looked curious, and crossed his arms. "I do?" He asked, and Gwen nodded. If Devlin were standing on the ground, he would undoubtedly be scuffing the floor with his heel. But he was standing on his pride and joy – his lightboard. So scuffing was definitely a no-no. And so was asking personal questions, but Devlin was of the opinion that rules were meant to be broken. "Is it that painful?"

Gwen seemed surprised by his inquisitiveness, but she smiled softly and shook her head. The tail of her hair flowed gracefully in the breeze, it's reddish orange colour much more vibrant with the sunset shimmering behind her figure. "Not painful just… nostalgic. A little too nostalgic, I think." She murmured to him, but mostly to herself. Analyzing her feelings had always been more of a solitary thing for Gwen, but it was unusually easy to talk to him about them.

Devlin's hands wormed back into his pant pockets, and he was silent for a moment. Gwen wasn't too sure what went through his head, but it had to be interesting considering the question he popped next.

"Well if it's not too nostalgic, you think I could stay with you instead of with Kenny?" To say that Gwen was floored was an understatement. She almost toppled off her lightboard, but luckily all the fast reflexes she gained from fighting had helped her easily adjust back to her balanced position. Devlin seemed to know her question before it was even asked, and explained himself.

"I like Kenny and his family and all, but I don't think it'd make too much of a difference if I lived with you. I mean, you're Mr. Tennyson's cousin, right? Which means you help him with his missions and stuff. I'll probably end up staying with them half the time anyways. And a guy needs some space, plus, you're probably lonely." Near the end, it seemed more like he was trying to find every angle he could go at to convince Gwen to adopt him. But even if all those reasons were true for his desire to stay with the redhead, Devlin just _felt_ like it was right. Like he had been born to stay by this strange woman's side.

"So… what d'ya say?"

Gwen smiled.

"I say, welcome home."

...

...

...**  
**

It had to be here somewhere… Gwen _knew_ this was where he kept all of those Null Eggs. But all she could find were the usual delinquents and annoying criminals. There was neither hide nor hair of that man with the black-infested heart and the scar on his chin. So, giving up for the moment, Gwen slammed the containment box shut, spinning around to shriek in surprise at Julie standing behind her.

"Looking for something?" Julie asked, her hands on her hips. "Or should I say, _someone_?"

Gwen sighed, running a hand through her freed locks as she stood unsurely in a simple tank top and pyjama bottoms. Julie just shook her head helplessly, stepping forward to hand Gwen a little box. "He's in here." She said quietly to her friend. "Ben put him aside from the rest. He's too powerful to be let with all the other prisoners."

Gwen smoothed her hands over the box, nodding once to Julie in gratification. The Asian American just hugged her in response before heading back to bed before Ben realized she was gone and called an interplanetary-wide search. Gwen watched her disappear around the corner before settling on the floor cross-legged, opening the box carefully.

The egg was glowing an eerie yellow and for a moment nothing appeared. But then his face swam up to the surface, pressing against the peculiar material that surrounded him. Kevin almost expected to see Ben and resigned himself to listening to the younger man brag about his "awesome skills". But what greeted his dark eyes was much more satisfying.

"Well, well, well..." He sneered, looking up at the luminous orange-red locks that framed Gwen's face prettily. "I never thought I'd see _you_ again, Gwendolyn."

She tried not to tremble, but her body wasn't paying attention to her. It was almost torture to look him in the face again after all these years. After every single_ fucking_—

"Eleven years." She whispered quietly. "_Eleven_ years. I thought he was _dead_, and now I find out he's been perfectly alive for _eleven fucking years_?!" Her voice rose to a yell, and it wasn't something she could stop if she wanted to. "I didn't even spend a single _second_ with him before you took him away from me! Away to the _Null Void_ for God's sake! How could you let my _baby_ grow up in the Null Void? How could you keep him away from me, and let me think every year that my son was probably in the stomach of some Null Guardian?!"

Kevin remained silent during her rant, his smirk no longer present as Gwen slowly broke down.

"Why Kevin?" She sobbed freely now, letting her tears drip onto the surface of the Null Egg. "Why _me_? Why did you have to put me through this? Why did you have to put Devlin through this?!" She wasn't expecting an answer, but Kevin gave her one anyways. And it was a response so infallible that Gwen could do nothing else but throw his egg back into the box and shut it tight. That Gwen could do nothing else but cry, and cry, and cry.

"Because I loved you."

Her locket dangled freely from her neck, and Gwen clutched it tightly in her hands.

_Maybe in another time, we could have loved sooner._

_Maybe in another place, we could have loved better._

_Maybe in another life, we could have loved forever._

...

...

...**  
**

**END**

_

* * *

A/N _And here's another angsty fic! It's set in the Ken 10 universe (obviously). I really just wanted to justify Ken's dark skin if Ben was married to Julie (though I had to tweak it a bit), but then I added in Gwen and Kevin and Devlin. I'm considering writing the scene where Julie first meets Ben in the Ben 10, 000 universe. We shall see, though. :D

For anyone who's confused by my warped timeline (I'm sure all of you are, because I did a horrible job explaining things), here's a basic breakdown:

Factoring in Alien Force, Kevin _did_ join Ben and Gwen in their group, so Gwen was still able to get the locket from him. But a huge argument went down between Gwen and Kevin during their relationship in their adult years, and Gwen accidentally told him she never wanted to date a monster. As a result, Kevin left their group and threw himself deeper and deeper into the darkness. Ben was forced to throw him in the Null Void, but not before Gwen gave birth to Devlin and Kevin snatched him away from her.

Julie never appeared in Alien Force, but you could replace her position as Ben's girlfriend with Kai. Kai and Ben were, like Gwen said, always fighting until Kai got pregnant. Then Kai died in childbirth, and Ben neglected his own son and threw himself in work. Julie was grocery shopping one day and finds out Ken's being ignored by his father, and she's of the opinion that a child must be raised by their parents. So naturally, she goes to give Ben a piece of her mind. This is the first time they meet, and the relationship grows from there.

I hope that clears some stuff up. Review or PM me if you don't understand something, and I'll try to offer some explanations.

Read and review please!

Snowflake Flower


	4. RippedTide Rapids

**Ripped-Tide Rapids**

...

...

...**  
**

"Six stories of twists and turns…"

Gwen sighed, crossing her arms as one of her perfectly plucked eyebrows rose in a "Really? Are you serious?" arch at her cousin standing across from her.

"Oh come on, Gwen! We did this all the time as kids!" Ben exclaimed, his green eyes pleading at the teenager who sometimes acted more like an old lady. Behind her were hordes of students from Bellwood High and Bellwood Prep, all of them belonging to one athletic team or another. Julie was among them, her head tilting curiously as she watched the two cousins from her vantage point at the front of the crowd.

"_Really_ Ben?" The Anodite asked, also cocking her head (but in a much more exasperated way). Ben gave her another set of puppy eyes, his hands clasped together in front of his baggy black shirt. Gwen sighed in defeat, uncrossing her arms and placing one hand on her hip. "Hurtling down a two hundred foot plunge—"

"At speeds of over 25 miles per hour!"

"Then, splash down into a churning three hundred thousand gallon whirlpool…"

"You've entered the Riptide Rapid Zone!"

Ben whooped in excitement, never tiring of this water park ride as he began to run to the entrance. Gwen heaved a helpless sigh at her brown-haired cousin, walking after him in her white bikini. Julie, sporting a cute pink swimsuit, jogged to catch up to her, about to ask what just transpired between the two cousins, until the two of them heard squeals from the cheerleading squad (and the tennis team… and the badminton team… and the—oh hell, from all the female teams!). Guess who they were freaking out over?

"Kevin!!"

Gwen groaned, slapping her face with her hand.

"Why me? Why is it _always_ me?"

Kevin smirked, his dark blue swimming trunks riding low on his hips as he padded up to the only two ladies who were _not_ screaming his name and crowding around him. They backed down pretty easily after Gwen sent them all glares, _and_ after Kevin threw his arm around the (totally not!) jealous Anodite.

"Hey Gwen; Julie." The Asian-American nodded her greetings, but Gwen just flicked the muscular arm on her shoulder to prompt it to back away. It was nerve-wracking to have Kevin pressed up against her, _especially_ when he was in nothing but a pair of swimming trunks. (She thanked the gods that he wasn't soaking wet, or else that would make her situation that much harder to bear.)

"Kevin, _what_ are you doing here? As I recall, you don't _go_ to our school." Gwen raised an expectant eyebrow at him, and Kevin just smirked that cocky smirk of his. Julie took the opportunity to slip away, as her tennis friends were calling her over (probably to inquire about Kevin, the toughest kid in town and also the sexiest, according to the general female population).

"Uh, duh? Dropout?" Kevin answered, chuckling. "I heard you guys were taking a little trip to the water park. Thought I'd tag along and see what kind of a swimsuit girl you are." His lips quirked up in a leer as he appraised her scantily clad body. Gwen made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat, turning her back on him sharply to walk away and find Ben. The delinquent just laughed throatily, following her, his eyes roaming over her toned, slim figure.

...

...

...**  
**

"Wow, Cash. Those _are _pretty ripped!" JT commented, staring at his friend flexing his arm in his spectacled face. Cash smirked cockily, bringing his hand down as they walked through the water park towards the Riptide Rapids. Unbeknownst to Ben and the two resident bullies, JT and Cash's high school had also gathered together their sports teams and sent them on a field trip to the water park.

"I know. I've been working out almost every day now. Soon enough, I'm gonna be tough enough to take out Kevin!" Cash boasted, grinning as he stared down at his slowly forming muscles. JT smiled in happiness for his best friend, but grimaced when he looked down at his own flabby arms.

"Hopefully tough enough for the both of us." He muttered, tugging the hem of his shirt further down. He had worn it because he was embarrassed of the slightly rounder stomach he had in comparison to Cash's flat one. His friend just patted him on the back, chuckling when the force of it sent JT sprawling forward on the ground. Chas started to laugh at him, yelping when his ankle was suddenly grabbed and tugged… _hard_.

"Whoa!" The skinnier of the two yelled, his balance shaken as he tried to regain control of his footing. It was all for naught, however, when he tipped forward and struck someone's shoulder, sending them both to the hard ground with painful groans. Cash pressed up on his arms in a way reminiscent of a push-up, staring down at the person he had hit. "Hey, watch where you're—" he started angrily, his voice dying when the girl beneath him moaned softly.

"Oooh, my head..." She muttered, her eyes flickering open to reveal a pair of brown eyes that stared blearily up at Cash. "I'm sorry," she said to him, trying to smile. "I guess I should watch where I'm going, huh?"

Cash blinked.

"You're really pretty." He said, and Julie's eyebrow rose.

"I'm… sorry?" She said again, but this time the underlying meaning of her words completely different. Cash flushed red, suddenly realizing when he had said and springing up on his feet, backing away a little.

"I – I mean, it's my fault!" He blurted out, trying to hide his red face by covering it with one of his hands. "I should've watched where I was… um… falling." He finished lamely, before shooting JT (who had already gotten up) a dirty look. His friend just shrugged, smirking as his eyes pointedly went to the Asian-American who was starting to get back onto her feet. Quickly, he stepped over to her, offering his hand.

"Thanks." She said in gratification, relying on his strength to pull her up and dusting herself off as she did so. "Even if you did crash into me first." Julie added as an afterthought, her tone teasing. Cash rubbed the back of his neck; his flushing reddening while his eyes darted to his feet. Another muttered "sorry" was heard from him. Julie looked over his shoulder when she heard the voices of her tennis friends, and she looked at the sheepish teenager in front of her. "I've got to go." She told him, and his head snapped up. A kind smile was on her face, and she waved to both Cash and JT as she walked away. "Bye!"

"Bye…" Cash murmured, waving dazedly to her as she walked away, her short hair swishing shortly behind her. JT looked at his friend, a smug smirk on his face as he waved a hand in front of Cash's eyes and got no reaction.

"You're totally crushing on her." He teased, prompting the taller boy to jump and glare at him.

"I am not!" He cried indignantly, the blush coming back full force. JT laughed, turning to head to the Riptide Rapids and smugly listening to Cash's rampant denials, tuning him out easily enough. Together, they walked past the entrance to the water ride, never hearing Gwen and Kevin arguing behind them. Instead, JT caught sight of a familiar brown-haired boy, who had defeated them in the last soccer game standing at the line of the ride, bouncing around giddily like he was ten again.

"Hey, dude," JT said, interrupting Cash's rant. "Look; isn't that Tennyson?" When JT looked back to his friend, he was delighted to see a familiar smirk play across the taller boy's face. Since they attended different schools, JT and Cash never really had the chance to ridicule Ben like they did in elementary school. This was like, a golden opportunity!

"Why's he wearing a shirt in a water park?" Cash scoffed, pausing when he realized his best friend was wearing one too. But JT didn't look too offended, merely chuckling and patting his rounder stomach with one of his hands.

"Maybe he's trying to hide something." The chubbier boy suggested, raising an expectant eyebrow at his friend. "Something that'll embarrass him majorly if anyone saw it." JT could see the smile playing at Cash's mouth grow wider, his eyes narrowing mischievously as they focused on the shorter boy. "Cash, why don't we get something to drink?" He suggested, pointing to the little food shack nearby. Cash clapped his friend on the shoulder.

"JT, I think that's an _excellent_ idea."

...

...

...**  
**

The line was getting shorter.

The _line_ was getting _shorter_!

Ben fought to contain his girlish (I mean, manly) squeals of excitement as he stood in line for the Riptide Rapids ride, bouncing on his heels as he waited impatiently for his turn to come. Gwen couldn't help rolling her eyes, wondering why she suddenly felt like she was ten again and trying to keep herself and Ben out of trouble from aliens and Grandpa Max. She was about to say something about his reversion to childhood, when she noticed the black shirt hanging on his body like flabby skin.

"Ben, why are you wearing a shirt?" She asked, her eyebrow quirking up in question. (She seemed to be doing that a lot lately…) Ben turned to her, his excitement dying down as he scratched his cheek, grinning sheepishly. Kevin stood behind Gwen, his own brow also rising at Ben's unusual state of dress. (At Max's fishing spot, he had no qualms about his body at all.)

"I just… thought it would be weird if people saw how… um…" Ben trailed off here, flushing red. Gwen tilted her head curiously, waiting for the continuation of his confession that didn't come. Kevin just smirked, snorting in laughter and calling the Anodite's attention to him.

"He's worried people will start wondering why he's so ripped." The Levin answered for the younger, shyer boy. Gwen's eyes widened, her reddish orange eyebrows shooting up to her hairline as she pinned her incredulous green gaze on Ben's rather, sheepish form. Kevin went on to brag about how no one would suspect him, as he was the toughest kid in Bellwood after all, but Gwen quickly cut him off while she addressed her embarrassed cousin.

"Ben, you're on the _soccer team_. Why would people think it was weird if you were… fit?" She ended lamely, not wanting to associate "muscular" with her cousin (because words like "ripped" and "tank" were reserved for Kevin only, thank you very much). Ben came out of his uncomfortable phase, sighing somewhat frustratingly as he tried to explain his reasoning to his "know-it-all" cousin.

"Because I've been… skipping some practices." He confessed, grimacing as he remembered the wrath of his teammates when he finally went to one of the practices. Gwen looked outraged and ready to chew him out until he intercepted, just barely saving himself from her wrath. "I skipped because of… plumber business!" He said, replacing "alien" with "plumber" so the people around him wouldn't give him weird looks (although they did that anyways). Gwen receded the lecture that hovered on the tip of her tongue, knowing that it was a legitimate reason for skipping (even though his teammates didn't know). "I'm still surprised coach let me come on the field trip." Ben admitted, going back to rubbing his neck.

"But that doesn't explain why you're worried about taking off your shirt." Kevin pointed out, and Ben sighed again.

"Well, since I've been skipping practices, in _their_ eyes I haven't had a lot of exercise. That, and I've been eating a ton of chilli fries and drinking a lot of smoothies. By now, I should have gained at least several pounds." He admitted, and recognition dawned on Gwen and Kevin's faces.

"Hence the shirt." Gwen added. Ben chuckled.

"Hence the shirt."

"What about when your shirt gets wet?" Kevin pointed out again, ever the smartass. But Ben smirked, having already figured out the solution to that and holding the front of his overly large t-shirt away from his front, as if it was wet. Kevin's brow rose, but soon enough he had pieced the puzzle together and smirked, mentally applauding the male Tennyson on his ingenuity. "Baggy shirt. Nice touch, Tennyson." Ben grinned.

"Thanks."

All three of them smiled at each other for a few moments, before a voice suddenly called out to them.

"Hey! Kevin Levin, what the hell are you doing here?"

Kevin's eyes widened.

"Aw crap."

Gwen blinked, looking over his shoulder to see a teacher from Bellwood Prep glaring at the broad-shouldered teenager beside her. Kevin was certainly well known in all of Bellwood for being the toughest (and most rebellious) kid around. He was famous among the women and teenage girls for obvious reasons, but his name became infamous around the older audiences. _Especially_ the older audiences.

"I'll rendezvous with you guys in a bit." He said, backing away slowly as he saw the teacher advancing on him. Gwen sighed when she saw him take off, turning to Ben and offering an apologetic smile.

"I'll go make sure he doesn't get thrown out." She said, waving goodbye to him and running after Kevin. Ben watched her leave, waving to her even as her back was turned to him. It was only after Gwen disappeared around the corner did he turn to face the direction of the line again, jumping when he saw two people he never wanted to see again (except, maybe in a soccer game so he could kick their butts).

"JT? Cash? What are you doing here?"

Cash smirked, the lid of a soda bottle dangling in his fingers as he corked a condescending eyebrow at Ben. JT stood beside him (as usual) chortling quietly.

"I could ask you the same question, _Tennyson_." He sneered, getting right into Ben's face and forcing the brown-haired teen to lean back and avoid him. It was quite an uncomfortable position, so Ben narrowed his eyes in a slight glare at the taller boy and took a step back to maintain distance between him and his childhood bullies. "We're here 'cause our soccer coach is _rewarding_ us for beating yet _another_ loser soccer team." He bragged, and Ben smirked.

"Oh, you mean like how you beat _my _soccer team?"

Cash's eyes narrowed. "Watch it, Tennyson." He warned, jabbing his finger into Ben's chest. The Omnitrix bearer just brushed the offending finger off, deciding not to bother with the two annoyances and turning to face the line to the Riptide Rapids. Cash didn't seem to enjoy the shorter boy snubbing him, though, and his grip on his soda bottle tightened. "Hey, I'm talkin' to you!"

Ben blinked in surprise when he felt a hand slam on his shoulder, spinning him around before a splash of cold, orange soda rained on his face. The chemicals from the franchise beverage stung his eyes, and he cried out in pain.

"Damn it, what the hell Cash?" He cursed, his hand reaching up to fling the soda off of him. His fingers scratched at the closed lids of his eyes, but that didn't help the stinging that reigned on in his green orbs. Cash smirked in triumph, glad to deal some misery onto the other boy's life; at least, until a familiarly beautiful black-haired, brown-eyed beauty pushed past him with rushed panic.

"Ben!" Julie exclaimed, seeing him hunched over and rubbing at his eyes. She was quick to grasp his wrists, bringing them away from his face so he wouldn't irritate his injury more. "Come on, sit down." The Asian-American urged her boyfriend, lowering him slowly and gently to the floor. Her hands were sticky with the soda, but she didn't mind it so much as she reached into her bag and took out a small towel. The majority of the soda was wiped off of Ben's face, but his skin still felt sticky to Julie.

"Julie?" Ben asked, his hand reaching blindly forward in an attempt to find her. She smiled softly at him, letting her hand rest on his in order to calm him down. Julie found a water bottle in her bag, soaking a small part of her towel in it.

"I'm here." Ben smiled at her words, letting her dab at his face with the towel and enjoying the event of his girlfriend doting on him. He was oblivious to Cash and JT, still standing and watching them with shell-shocked faces. "I think I have most of the orange soda off, but there's still some on your shirt, which is pretty much soaked, by the way." She teased, tugging at the hem of the black garment. Ben chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

"Yeah, it'll just keep it on. I mean, it'll get washed when I go down the Riptide Rapids, right?" He asked unsurely, almost like he could see Julie's pointed glance at him.

"Ben," Julie started, her tone like that of a mother trying to explain her complicated decisions to her three-year old son, "you _cannot_ pollute the water of the park that _everyone_ has to swim in just because you're lazy." Ben winced. "And besides that, you are _not_ going down the rapids with your eyes like that. I'm going to take you to the infirmary, okay?" The Omnitrix bearer opened his mouth to reply, but shut it for a moment before sighing in defeat.

"Alright." He mumbled, sitting up a little straighter when Julie cleared her throat expectantly. With a deep breath (as if preparing himself for the next few moments), Ben's fingers grasped the end of his black shirt, pulling it up and off his body in one clean sweep.

'_And cue gasps,_' Ben thought, smirking a little in satisfaction at the intake of breath fluttering around him.

Julie blinked in surprise as she stared dumbfounded at her boyfriend's chest, her brown eyes rolling over the prominent muscles of his arms, then his pectorals glistening with wetness, and finally down to his defined abdomen that rippled with strength. For a moment she was still, before snapping out of her daze and hesitantly starting to clean his torso, her towel-clad hands trembling as they moved over his skin.

Cash blinked once, and then twice after Julie started to mop up her boyfriend, his eyes still unable to process the sight of the Tennyson's ripped figure. For a moment, Cash thought back to his own work-in-progress muscles and grimaced, face contorting into a scowl. Grabbing JT's shoulder abruptly, the bully and his bully-friend quickly left the scene, a group of girls taking their spot and staring goggly-eyed at the Tennyson.

As Cash walked away, he shut his eyes and pretended that the last few moments never happened. And that tomorrow, he would douse the stupid Tennyson in some other drink, and there would not be any ripped torso to greet his sorry sight.

...

...

...**  
**

"Can I open my eyes now Julie?" Ben asked when he no longer felt the cold touch of Julie's soaked towel on his body. Julie looked up from her search for eye drops in her bag, her lips pursing.

Someone had once asked Julie why she chose Ben as her boyfriend. Actually, many of her friends (except Gwen) had asked her that several times. Because all they saw was the goofy, soccer/MVP player with the cool (but dumb) watch on his wrist (that didn't tell time). All they saw was a delinquent-in-the-making who was skipping practices and barely passing classes. All they saw was a normal boy living in a normal neighbourhood and hanging out with his bad boy, toughest-kid-in-town friend and know-it-all cousin.

Julie wouldn't really be able to tell them all about the secret life her boyfriend was living; battling aliens and keeping their world safe in his deceased grandfather's stead. She couldn't tell them that this life he was hiding was a huge factor in her adoration and respect for him. But she could tell them so many other things about Ben that attracted her to him in the first place. Like his naturally goofy nature and intense sense of justice; to do what was right and not what was safe.

But for every person who asked Julie that one, predictable question; despite all of her mental thoughts to answer differently, the black-haired teenager couldn't help but reply every time,

"His eyes."

Because they were this vibrant, intense green that would stare unwaveringly into her own dull brown eyes with an excited passion and an energetic sense of adventure. Because they would narrow with severity in the face of saving the world, or widen with surprise when she appeared at his front door with chilli fries. Because instead of a heart on his sleeve, the window to his soul was through his green, green orbs.

And finally because his vibrant, intense, adoring eyes would always stare at no one but _her_.

Julie smiled as her hand came in contact with the little bottle of eye drops. But instead of taking it out immediately, she let it rest in the palm of her hand as her head leaned forward, placing two soft kisses on the closed lids of Ben's green, green eyes.

"Okay, open your eyes."

...

...

...**  
**

**END**

_

* * *

A/N _Well, I thought I'd take a break from all that angst. Hope you enjoy this lighter, happier oneshot! It was inspired simply because I figured Ben would be pretty muscular from all that alien-fighting, and I was wondering if Julie (slash the rest of the world) knew that.

This takes place after _What Are Little Girls Made Of_ and before _The Gauntlet_.

I'll be doing quite a bit of these oneshots that can be fit into the actual storyline of _Ben 10: Alien Force_, so look forward to it! Most of them will be happy and fluffy, so you could say the angst if over for now. (But don't take my word for it. I can contradict myself sometimes, haha!)

Please enjoy, and review please!

Snowflake Flower


	5. Like Thing

**Like Thing**

...

...

...**  
**

"We will be right back with, the Addams Family, sponsored by the Goths R Us chain store—"

Julie zoned out, blinking somewhat with sleepiness and relaxing comfortably with her head against her boyfriend's shoulder. They were reclining lazily on his bed, the lights flicked off as the TV blared on in front of them. It was currently displaying pointless advertisements Julie would never pay attention to, so her thoughts began to drift as she partook in the warmth of Ben's body behind her.

Julie really loved the Addams family. They were this quirky, crazy bunch of people that often reminded her there was more than just the humdrum normalcy of everyday life (kind of like Ben did with his plumber-business). The teenager was normal by pretty much all standards (except for the alien-hunting boyfriend) so it wasn't unusual for the Yamamoto to crave excitement and adventure. Or maybe just people like the Addams.

Julie blinked, turning her head a little to look down at the Omnitrix resting innocently on Ben's wrist. It was a dark green, the colour heavy compared to the lightness of his skin. But in the dim light, it blended together, and Julie could only make out the silhouette of his arm resting casually on his thigh. She stared at it, unconscious of her fingers lightly tracing circles on the fabric of Ben's sleeve. But Ben noticed, and he flushed a little red in happiness and embarrassment.

"Lower your leg for a second, Ben." Julie commanded quietly, her hand pressing on his bent leg beside her, flattening it to shift her body over it, positioning herself right between Ben's legs. He sat up straighter in surprise, leaning back a little to flush red at her position in front of him. Julie didn't seem to notice his reaction, settling herself comfortably in her spot before reaching out to trace the ring around the sign of the Plumbers.

"Ben," Julie spoke up, turning her head to look at him with her dark eyes, "what's the 'Null Void'?"

Ben blinked in surprise, before his face turned thoughtful, and her pondered her question and the right way to answer it. "Well," he started off, lips twisted in thought and indecision, "it's this… sort of prison for interplanetary criminals. Like, the _really_ bad ones." Julie stared thoughtfully off into the distance, her fingers now entwined with Ben's as she leaned into his chest.

"Like Sunder?" Ben scratched his cheek.

"Yeah; like Sunder." He smiled down at her, and Julie couldn't help smiling back.

"And now we're back with: The Addams Family!" The television blared, and Julie's head whirled around in excitement. She turned her back to rest against Ben's chest, deliriously happy when his toned arms reached forward to wrap loosely around her waist, nudging her closer.

"Yay! Commercial break is over!" The Asian-American exclaimed in excitement, giggling softly when she felt Ben's breath on her sensitive neck. For a while, her attention was focused half on the movie, and half on her boyfriend's warmth surrounding her, until something in the screen caught her eye.

Raising a brow, Julie broke from Ben's hold, leaning forward to narrow her eyes at the television. Thing was scurrying across the floor, jumping everywhere and running around all over the house looking for Gomez… or Fester? Julie couldn't remember because Ben's ticklish breaths were distracting her. Thing caught her eye, however, because the disembodied limb looked increasingly similar like something…

And then it struck her when the pale hand jumped up onto the desk, fingers crouched from the landing position.

"Ben's hand!" She shouted excitedly. Ben blinked puzzlingly at her, and looked down at his arm.

"My hand?" Julie whirled her head to meet her boyfriend's green gaze, grinning widely as she grabbed Ben's wrist with the Omnitrix and lifted it, pointing at the same time to the television screen where Thing was driving a car (somehow).

"Remember when Sunder cut off your hand and sent you to the Null Void?" Julie said, and Ben grimaced.

"Yeah. That was like, last week. It's still pretty fresh in my mind." He admitted, and Julie ignored his pouting face. She jabbed rapidly at his screen, a bright smile on her face,

"Well your hand was acting like that!" She said, and Ben looked to the pale hand driving a car without feet. "It was like… it had a mind of its own. Like Thing! Maybe that's what happened to Thing! Maybe the rest of him is somewhere else because someone used that dimensional displacement thing on him!" Ben's eyebrow rose at his girlfriend as she continued to rant on about possibilities of Thing's existence. He didn't see why she cared so much; it was just a movie. And Thing wasn't even real.

Ben was about to tell Julie his thoughts, but then something stopped him. He looked at her excited, animated face and couldn't help but smile adoringly, loving her flushed cheeks and her hair slightly askew, little strands flaring out from the main body. And then he remembered every shiver that trembled through her body when his breath ghosted over her neck. So Ben, being the little prankster he was at the tender age of ten (and now fifteen), couldn't resist.

The hand encased in the Omnitrix began to creep along the bed, headed towards Julie's flailing arms. He hopped onto her, his fingers lightly resting against her skin and scaring the Asian-American for a second, prompting her to ask, "Ben? What are you doing?" But the teenage boy just smiled deviously, letting his fingers 'walk' up her arm and then down her back, forcing squeals and giggles out of Julie's mouth. "Ben!" She shrieked, trying to shove him off.

By now, the intergalactic hero had thrown away all traces of pretending to act like the disembodied body part on the television screen, using his free hand to reach out and ghost his fingers along her ribcage. Julie shrieked in laughter, her feeble hands attempting to push his arms away, but failing miserably. It wasn't long before she lay on her side, gasping for breath when Ben finally stopped, his body hovering above her and his hands planted beside her head as he also laughed with glee.

Julie's breaths steadied agonizingly slowly, remnants of laughter spilling out of her mouth at spastic intervals. It allowed Ben to stare down at her heaving chest and the mussed strands of her hair splayed on his bed, and he lightly flushed pink because of the teenage hormones that were currently raging very close to out-of-control. Julie didn't seem to notice, her breath finally calming as the last of the giggles were expelled from her pink, pliant lips.

"Ben?" The Asian-American whispered softly, her brown eyes locked with her boyfriend's green ones. He didn't say anything, the startling green in his eyes focused intently on the girl below him. She was apprehensive for a little while, unused to Ben's piercing gaze on her lithe form. The strange thumping in her chest began to grow louder in her ears as her boyfriend's body swayed above her, before lowering itself inch by inch to her pink and white clad form. Julie's breath hitched in her throat, lips parting slightly as she awaited the soft press of Ben's rougher lips against hers.

Lower and lower he went, switching his leverage from his hands to his elbows as he got closer. Their bodies were lightly brushing against each other now; close enough to touch but still not enough to satisfy them. Julie's eyes fluttered closed when she could feel Ben's breaths against her cheeks, and her slim fingers fisted into the soft wool of the blankets. It was torture for the both of them, Ben hovering above her body with the utmost control, trying not to let his hormones get the better of him and Julie laying poised beneath him, wanting this but not wanting it at the same time. The decision was agonizing.

But not at all her decision to make, apparently as Ben's phone began to trill loudly from his work desk.

Above her, Ben froze, his lips a hair's breath away from hers. For a moment, he considered ignoring it, but then his green eyes saw Julie's eyes slide open, and a stern look started to come over her face. So, with a sigh, Ben turned his head away and pushed off the bed, headed to the table to quickly answer his cell. "Hi Gwen." He muttered dejectedly, his back to Julie as his cousin ranted about a last-minute mission. He quickly and efficiently took hold of all the information, hanging up as soon as Gwen cut the line before turning to Julie with an apologetic expression. "I've gotta go, but I'll be back soon." He told her, and Julie nodded with a smile.

"Sure. I'll wait for you."

Ben couldn't help the rush of warmth that flew across his chest at her words. He cranked his window open, quickly turning into Jetray before taking off. Julie closed the window behind him after he was nothing but a speck in the distance, praying for his safety (and Gwen and Kevin's too, of course) before settling on her boyfriend's bed once more and continuing to watch The Addams Family movie as it played in the dim light of the room. Her eyes were unfocused as they watched the events on the screen unfold, her heart hoping and praying that her wait would not be in vain.

...

...

...**  
**

**END**

_

* * *

A/N _Some more fluffiness for you! A little bit of angst at the end, but mostly just some light-hearted playfulness. Hope you like it! It takes place post-Single-Handed (as you can obviously tell). I only wrote this with the idea of putting Thing in (because I ADORE the Addams Family), but then it kind of... evolved, lol. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Addams Family. And I don't own Ben 10:AF, but you knew that right?

Please review! (They make me work faster on the next one-shot =3)

Snowflake Flower


	6. Belonging

**Belonging**

...

...

...**  
**

Gwen never liked going shopping at the mall. It was always crowded and noisy, often to the point where she couldn't even hear herself think. The stores she shopped at would play music that made her ears bleed, and the lines for everything were so long, she couldn't buy a simple shirt or a cappuccino without waiting for an hour. And don't get her _started_ on the filth decorating the food court chairs and tables, _or_ the public washrooms. (Just… ew.)

But there wasn't anywhere else Gwen could turn to when she needed a new pair of Panther running shoes, or a cute new top from M&H, _or_ the latest, fastest netbook from Soshiba. So, the Tennyson was forced to push through the bodies of sweaty old men or nauseatingly perfumed teenyboppers in an attempt to get where she was going.

"Excuse me," Gwen spoke up, wedging past an old lady growling at a young boy and waving her cane about, and a middle-aged man staring intently at the new PlayfulBoy magazine. Gwen's lips curled in disgust, wondering if that perverted man knew he was standing in the middle of a public mall, but ignored him and continued on her way. Or, as she stated before, _attempted_ to after she managed to get through the old lady and the man, only to bump into someone else in front of her.

"Oh, I'm sorry." The other person apologized, and Gwen looked up to blink in surprise.

"Julie?"

The black-haired, shorter teenage girl blinked her eyes in recognition as she took in Gwen's fiery red hair (that was somewhat dishevelled because of the crowds) and the familiar, startling green of her eyes. A smile blossomed over her face, and she raised her free hand in a wave (her other hand was bogged down by some shopping bags). "Hi Gwen."

Gwen blinked again.

"Hi… Julie." She replied lamely, a grimaced smirk curling around her lips as she shifted awkwardly from one foot to the next. "What are you doing here? Isn't your date with Ben in like," her eyes flickered down to her watch, "four hours?" Gwen paused at that, wondering if it would take the Asian-American four hours to get ready for a date with Ben. Julie just laughed, flushing red a little and rubbing her short black locks in sheepishness.

"Well I… I was just digging through my closet to find something to wear and… well…"

Gwen grinned knowingly.

"Nothing?"

Julie shrugged, smiling a little. Gwen couldn't help the giggling that escape her lips, and she brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

"Well it can't be too hard. Ben isn't exactly the most difficult to impress." The mirth in the redhead's voice made Julie giggle as well, and the black-haired of the two tapped her cheek in thought. Her brown eyes stared casually at Gwen, gaze flickering left and right only to frown in thought. The Tennyson stared curiously at her, following her gaze and wondering what the Asian was looking at. She didn't have to wonder long.

"Is someone shopping with you?"

Gwen blinked in surprise, her mouth dropping open as she struggled for words. The truth was that Gwen didn't really hate shopping malls; she just hated not having anyone to go shopping _with_. (Kevin and Ben didn't count, because they just complained and ditched her once she let them run off to the food court.) It reminded her all the time that the only friend she had were her two plumber partners, because everyone in her prep school thought she was either weird or intimidating, and never approached her.

"Well, I…" Gwen rubbed the back of her head before sighing. "No. I'm… by myself." It surprised the redhead when Julie smiled brightly, tilting her head towards the new M&H store that opened up a little ways from where they were standing.

"Want to help me pick out a new outfit for my date tonight?" She asked, her brown eyes blinking doe-fully up at Gwen. A strange excitement came over Gwen when she nodded slowly and Julie reached out, grabbing her hand to drag her to the store. If she tried to describe it, the feeling would be similar to a comfortable atmosphere between friends, with a dash of joy and happiness thrown in as she browsed the clothing racks with the shorter girl.

"Hey, let's exchange cell numbers." Julie said suddenly as Gwen flipped through some pink blouses, the black-haired girl whipping out her touch-screen portable phone. Gwen blinked in surprise (for what seemed like the umpteenth time that day), her mouth dropping open for a few moments before scrambling for her own phone as Julie's eager gaze directed itself at her.

"Um, sure." She responded a little clumsily, letting her phone slip into the Asian's hand and grasping the touch-screen in her own. "But… why?" Gwen waited expectantly as Julie finished dialling her number into Gwen's contact list, before looking up and smiling.

"In case we lose each other in the crowds. And just… because." She replied simply, as if that was obvious. Gwen's eyes flickered to Julie's phone in her hand, and she smiled a little. "Are you done yet?" Julie asked, courteously slipping the redheads phone back into her purse before perusing through the clothing racks again. Gwen kept her eyes on the touch-screen with a smile playing at her lips, her fingernail tapping one of the icons at the top of the display.

_New Contact._

"Not yet."

...

...

...**  
**

Gwen was annoyed.

Really, _really_ annoyed.

"Kevin, could you _please_ turn it off?!"

"WHAT?! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

She glared at him from the passenger seat, watching the 16-year old's black hair brush against his cheeks as he bobbed his head to the rock music blaring from the speakers. It was so loud that Gwen could feel her seat vibrate underneath her, and sharp pains shoot through her head as she tried to cover her ears, only for it to be a futile effort.

A groan of frustration escaped through her plump lips, but it was lost amongst the guitar solo. Unable to handle the pounding in her skull (and in the air from the _drum_ solo), Gwen lunged forward in her seat, her fingers grasping out for the volume knob. She twisted it down all the way until there was nothing else except for Kevin's voice singing along to the music. (That stopped quickly as well, though, when he noticed the weird silence in his car.)

"Hey! I was listening to that!" He exclaimed, offended that she had even considered shutting off his tunes. Gwen just glared at him, crossing her arms with a huff and turning to look out the window, watching the buildings blink in and out of sight.

"Well _I_ have a headache." She stated simply, not seeing Kevin pout and turn his head back to the road ahead. Gwen was struck with a sense of nostalgia, noting how the passing houses reminded her of running through the mall with Julie earlier that day, display windows entering her peripheral vision and exiting a split second later. (Gwen hoped Ben didn't mess up his date with Julie, or else it would become awkward between her and the Asian-American like it was with other girls she tried to talk to.)

Sighing, Gwen's headache increased when she registered the music playing behind her, and whipped her head around to glare at Kevin.

"I _said _I have a headache!" She exclaimed, only to see Kevin glance weirdly at her from the corner of his eye and point to her purse lying just behind his stick shift. Blinking, she flushed slightly in embarrassment before wondering when her ringtone had changed from its customary trills. So, fishing around for her cell, Gwen was pleasantly surprised to be greeted with the name "JULIE" that flashed across her screen.

Holding it level with her eyes for a few seconds in bewildrement, the redhead realized she was keeping the girl on the other line waiting, and hurriedly pressed the answer button.

"... hello?"

"Hi, Gwen?" Julie's voice filtered in. It was soft, and seemed very unsure and vulnerable. Gwen gulped.

"Uh, yeah, it's me." She replied, her free hand fiddling with a loose thread on her black skirt. There was silence on the other end, and Gwen wondered if she had lost her connection or something. "Julie?" She spoke out hesitantly. A pause, before:

"I think Ben stood me up."

...

...

...**  
**

Tap, tap, tap.

Tap, tap, tap.

Tap, tap, tap.

"Brrring. Brrring. Brrri—"

_Click._

"Julie!"

"Hi Gwen."

Bouncing excitedly in her seat, the redhead stopped tapping her foot on the floor, bringing it up to curl under her body. When Julie had suddenly cut off their call while Gwen was in the middle of defending her cousin, it was like she had left the itch half-scratched for Gwen to deal with for almost an entire day. (Julie wasn't picking up her phone, and Ben was suspiciously avoiding her questions.)

"What's the deal, Julie?" She exclaimed, pressing the cell phone hard against her ear as if that would make the other girl answer faster. "You suddenly hung up on me yesterday! Do you have any idea how nervous I've been because of you?" Julie laughed on the other end of the phone line, and Gwen was relieved to hear her amusement, because it meant that nothing had gone wrong, and she didn't have to greet the other girl with an awkward hello when they passed by each other in the halls.

"I'm sorry!" She replied, her voice dreamy. "He was just running at me, as if I was going to leave or something, and I panicked." Gwen giggled, imagining her doofy cousin trying to salvage his wreck of a date, and sighed with envy.

"So, how was it? Did anything else go wrong after that?" The redhead asked, punching at some buttons on her keyboard. A light smile was playing at her lips as she opened the Plumber Network, checking for any new missions that needed attention. But there was a strange prolonged silence on Julie's line, and worry started to prick at her consciousness. "Julie?"

"Oh! Um, nothing really." Julie said, her voice high as if she was trying to avoid saying something. "He got me cotton candy." She tagged on to the end of her sentence, and if that was all the details Gwen would ever want to know about the pier date. But, of course, the red-haired teenager would want to know how much of a goof her cousin made of himself, and prodded on.

"Did he win you any prizes?" The magician asked, her green eyes scanning her computer screen quickly. There was another long silence, and Gwen blinked, gawking. "_Nothing?_"

"Well... he sort of got me a... dog?"

Gwen's eyebrow quirked up. "Sort of?" There was a faint amusement in her tone, but it was overridden with confusion while she highlighted a few alien activities that seemed suspicious. Julie's voice was still tinged with hesitation as she answered.

"It wasn't exactly a prize..."

Gwen's face twisted in puzzlement as she ran through several different ways Ben could have gotten Julie a dog (stuffed or not) without winning some sort of game. But she came up with nothing. "So how'd he get it for you?" There was another pause of silence.

"I'd rather not say..."

Gwen smirked a little, figuring Ben had done something stupid in an attempt to look cool. "Is it really that embarrassing?" She asked.

"No. More like... weird."

Gwen sat up, fingers tightening around the sides of her pink cell phone. "Weird? Weird how?" Her cousin was _so_ getting drilled the next day about his date. Weird to anyone meant alien trouble for the three of them. And if there was alien activity happening during Ben's date...

"Just... weird stuff. I'd... rather not say, because I'm pretty sure it has something to do with Ben, and I don't feel comfortable saying stuff about him he wouldn't want me to tell other people."

Gwen blinked, her suspicions growing as she turned away from her computer monitor, wondering how she was going to go about this without revealing too much information if her assumptions were wrong. Taking a deep breath, Gwen asked, "Do you know about it? Ben's secret?"

"What secret are you talking about?"

"What secret of Ben's do you know?"

"I'd rather not say."

"Me neither."

"Yeah. If I told you, you'd probably think I was crazy or something."

"I know, right? I'd probably get sent to an asylum."

"... wait, what? Why would you get sent to a mental hospital?"

"Well... why would I think you were crazy if you told me?"

"..."

"..."

"Gwen?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you get the feeling we're talking about the same thing?"

"... yeah."

For a beat, there was another strange pause of silence. But it slowly dispersed once Gwen started to giggle, which prompted Julie to giggle, and then the giggles evolved into stomach-clenching bursts of laughter so loud that Gwen could hear Julie on the other end even while her phone was pressed against her stomach.

"Okay... okay." Gwen said, spontaneous giggles erupting out from her lips even after the laughter had died away. "Let's just clear this up right now, Julie. What secret of Ben's do you know?"

Julie stifled her chuckles from the other end of the line before replying, "I know that Ben can change into like, ten different types of aliens."

Gwen smiled.

"I know that too."

And suddenly, a new kinship was formed.

...

...

...**  
**

One more minute. Just one, more, minute.

"I've finished grading your tests from last week, so I'll be handing them back to you today." Gwen's teacher announced from the front of the class, carrying a stack of papers in one arm as he wandered through the aisles, calling out names before slapping a thick booklet onto their desks with a large number circled at the top, outlined in red ink. A strange sense of foreboding crept through Gwen's mind as her teacher began walking towards her. The feeling was justified once her test papers landed on her desk with a faint 'thump'.

"Ms. Tennyson, I'd like to talk to you after class." Her teacher said, just as the bell rang and her classmates rushed out the door. Sighing softly under her breath, Gwen slung her bag over her shoulder, grabbing her papers and following her teacher up to his desk at the front of class.

"Yes, sir?" She asked with a slight sigh, her fingers clenching around the test paper with the big fat 38% in the top, right-hand corner.

"Ms. Tennyson, I expect high standards from you in my class, and you have always gone above and beyond my expectations." He started, Gwen groaning inwardly in her head. "What happened?" He asked, looking pointedly to her test paper. The teenager couldn't help gnawing at her lower lip while she thought of a proper explanation.

"Sir, to be honest I've... been dealing with some... family problems." She confessed, her green eyes flickering to the side as she thought of that terrible, terrible day when Grandpa Max... "I'm sorry sir. I'll do better next time, I swear."

Her teacher's expression looked grim, and he nodded. "I look forward to it, Ms. Tennyson. And I hope those... issues... will be resolved in the near future. I'm a teacher," he smirked, patting Gwen on the shoulder, "but I'm human too."

She smiled, nodding her head and turning to leave. And on her way out, Gwen couldn't help thinking about the night before. About how it felt to realize she wasn't _magical_. She was just... extraterrestrial.

About how it was too bad he didn't know how much more _human_ he was compared to her.

...

...

...**  
**

"Call me when you're done. I'll come pick you up."

Gwen looked up from unbuckling her seatbelt, Kevin's dark eyes staring intensely into her green ones. She let that small smile curve over her face, the strap of her purse slipping off her shoulder.

"Julie too?" She asked, amusement colouring her tone. The black-haired teenager just smirked, nodding his head.

"Yeah, her too."

Warmth spread through her chest, and Gwen leaned forward, kissing Kevin on the cheek in gratitude. "Then I'll see you in a couple of hours, okay?" She said, back out of the green, alien-tech tricked-out car. She didn't make it out all the way, though, when Kevin's hand suddenly reached forward to clamp down on her wrist, prompting her to look up at him in confusion. "Kevin?"

"I'm glad you didn't go." He said, his voice softer than it had ever gone. "It would have been," he smirked here, "lame, if you had left."

Gwen smiled, blinking back the lone tear that threatened to slip out.

"I'm glad I didn't go too."

His callused hand loosened its grip on her wrist, and Gwen reluctantly pulled away when she heard Julie's voice call out to her from the entrance of the mall. She closed the door, her eyes staying locked with Kevin's until he drove away, and Julie ran up and stole her attention.

"Gwen! I heard about what happened with Ben. I'm really sorry."

Gwen turned to look at Julie, searching the Asian's dark eyes and seeing nothing but genuine concern. The magician – no – _Anodite_ smiled, hugging the shorter girl graciously.

"I'm okay." She said, pulled back. "Really. I am."

Julie smiled, clapping her hands and turning to walk into the mall.

"Okay, then! Shall we go shopping?" Gwen giggled, nodding her head, and the two of them shrieked in excitement as they ran for the door. Bursting through it, the two of them accidentally bumped into some people, and looked up to apologize.

"Oh, sorry—" Gwen started, only for the apology to die in her throat as she came face-to-face with a group of people she _really_ didn't want to see.

"Gwen Tennyson?" The voice sneered, chuckling a little. "What are you doing at the mall? I thought this place was only for people who had _friends_." Laughter sprung up from the three girls in front of her, and Gwen's eyes narrowed frustratingly. She always had it bad when she had to deal with the Queen Bees of her high school. They had tons of fun tormenting her because she was smart and... different. Luckily, Gwen got back at them by performing a few of her "magic tricks", but she didn't want to risk exposure with Julie around.

More than that, though? Gwen always knew they were right. She was different. And because of that, the only people who would ever understand her were Ben, Kevin, her family, and the other plumber kids. That was about it.

Guess she forgot about the spit-fire standing next to her, listening to every word that spewed disgustingly out of the Queen Bees mouth.

"Funny," Julie started, her smile vicious, "I thought this place was only for people with _real_ hearts and _real_ body parts. Huh. Guess not."

Gwen looked over to the black-haired girl, green eyes wide as she registered what the tennis player was saying to the most popular girls in her prep school. (Not to mention the wealthiest, who had seen a plastic surgeon so many times she was scheduled for weekly appointments.)

"Excuse me? Who the hell are you, and what right do you have talking to us like that?" One of the lesser Bees exclaimed, outraged. But Julie just shot her a smug look, one hand on her hip as she tilted her head at the trio of fakes. Gwen didn't know whether to stop her or join in as she pinpointed the devilish gleam in Julie's dark eyes.

"I'm Julie Yamamoto. But I can also be referred to as your worst nightmare." Her gaze turned deadly here, and she stepped forward into the Queen Bees personal space. "Now get out of our way, or next time I see you I might have to introduce you to my tennis racket and my _many_ tennis balls."

"You _bitch_—"

Julie gasped when the Queen Bees manicured fingers reached out, closing around Julie's throat in a vicious act of rage. Gwen was quick to react, darting forward and effectively separating the two, sending the Queen Bee flying backwards, the lesser Bees barely able to catch her before she hit the floor.

"Touch her again, and you will regret the day you ever messed with me."

Her green eyes were unrelenting as they stared coldly down at the three girls beneath her. It was a look she only adapted for the lowest of the low alien scum, although now it seemed like humans could also be relegated down to that level as well.

"W-whatever, T-Tennyson." The Queen Bee said, shakily standing and making a beeline for the door. Julie and Gwen watched them go, the former rubbing her throat with a grimace.

"I'm sorry about that, Julie." Gwen said, apologizing once the Bees were out of sight. "But you know... you didn't have to stand up for me." Julie looked at her in bewilderment, confusion rampant in her expression.

"Of course I had to!" She exclaimed, almost offended Gwen would ever think something like that. "We're _friends_, aren't we?" Gwen looked over surprisingly at the tennis player, her mouth dropping open as she considered the intensity of that one word.

"You... you want to be friends with me? But, but I'm," her voice dropped to a whisper, "_half-alien_. I'm... weird and different, and probably really unstable—"

Julie reached out, placing her hand on Gwen's shoulder with a smile. "Gwen," she started, chuckling a little, "my boyfriend can turn into ten different types of aliens. I think I'm okay with an Anodite best friend." Gwen blinked, wondering how Julie knew that and opening her mouth to ask until the Asian-American beat her to the punch. "Ben told me."

"Oh." The Anodite answered lamely, her mouth twisting in confusion. She scratched her head, turning to Julie. "So... what do we do now?" Julie smirked, rolling her eyes partly in exasperation.

"_Duh_. We go shopping!"

Gwen blinked. Then, she laughed.

"Right!"

And as they rushed off to find the closest M&H store, Gwen couldn't help smiling brightly to herself, loving the feeling that came with finally finding a place where she _belonged_.

(Anodine had _nothing_ on this.)

...

...

...**  
**

**END**

_

* * *

A/N _And so the next one-shot is out! I decided to take a break from the more romance-oriented fics and go with one that dealt with friendship. So, who better to talk about than Gwen and Julie? Plus, a little Gwevin thrown in.

This takes place mid-Pier Pressure, and post-What Are Little Girls Made Of.

As a side note, I just watched _Ben 10 Alien Swarm_. Can I just say it was pretty awesome (although I think Elena should go die in a hole because HELLO there's a girl named Julie who has already taken Ben's heart?) The Gwevin in it made my day. _Really_ made my day. (It helps that the actor who plays Kevin is pretty dang fine.) Although the lack of Benlie is going to prompt me to write a one-shot about it. (Yes? No? Should I do it?)

Review with comments, criticisms, and opinions please!

Snowflake Flower


	7. Puppy Love

**Puppy Love  
**

...

...

...**  
**

She was going to do it. She was going to do it, and she was going to do it today.

Elena took a deep breath from her position partially hidden by the tree. Her dark eyes stared out at the lone figure standing in the park, checking his watch every now and then and looking around. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest, like horses galloping for victory at a race, every clop of their shoes hard against the dirt floor. But that panicked feeling could not distract Elena from the warmth that shone red in her cheeks, or the tingles that flowed to her fingertips as she gazed at Ben Tennyson's brown hair and bright green eyes.

He had actually read her letter! Elena couldn't believe it when she spotted him lounging around the park, looking around for someone. For her! She had planted that letter right outside his door that morning, in hopes he would see it and come rushing down to the park to meet her and ask her why she called him out. It seemed like her hopes had been answered! This was the Validus' chance to finally reveal her long-kept feelings for the boy who was on her soccer team in middle school.

Taking a deep breath, Elena started towards Ben, every footstep like a giant imprint on her heart.

"Hi Ben." She greeted, twisting her fingers nervously at her stomach. Ben's head jerked towards her, and he seemed... surprised?

"Elena? Hey, what's up?" He asked briefly, before glancing at his watch and then shooting his head up for his green eyes to flicker around again. Elena was unsure why he was doing that... maybe nervousness? Could he have sensed her feelings for him when he read the letter she planted outside his door? A part of her hoped that wasn't the case, while the other part wished it was.

"Hi Ben." She repeated again, pausing to wince and reprimand herself for being repetitive. "You're... probably wondering why I called you out here." She said, trying to start a conversation. But Ben didn't seem so into it, preferring to answer with an, "mhm". So Elena continued, her fingers transferring to her jacket to fiddle with the hem. "I... I have something I want to tell you. Something I've wanted to tell you for a long time, but just haven't had the courage to." She rambled, biting her lip as her anxiety grew.

"Oh, okay, shoot." Ben said, finally focusing in on her, his green eyes piercing into her dark ones. Elena's eyes flickered to the floor, embarrassed that the bearer of the Omnitrix was staring so intently at her when she was about to tell him she had been harbouring romantic feelings for him ever since they reunited a month and a half ago. But despite that embarrassment, Elena had promised herself she was going to tell him _today._ And she didn't back out on promises.

"Ben, I..." She sighed, her head still facing the floor and her eyes squeezing shut, not noticing Ben's attention switch from her to something he spotted in the distance. "I'm going to just come out and say it. Ben, I really like—"

"Julie!"

Elena blinked in confusion, looking up.

"Julie?"

The grin on Ben's mouth almost split his face in half, and he dashed around Elena to take off towards someone. Elena turned her body to watch him go, watch him sprint away from her and envelop a black-haired girl wearing a pink sweater and a white skirt in a bone-crushing hug Humongousaur would be envious of.

"Ben!" Elena heard this Julie girl exclaim in reply, her arms wrapping around his body in kind as they both laughed with glee. Elena felt a sharp pain in her chest, like a sword piercing her soul, and the familiar sting of tears threatening to spill over her eyes and down her face in ugly trails. But she blinked them back, determined not to show weakness in public; not to be vulnerable in the face of her worst nightmare. Ben's girlfriend.

Elena shook her head to clear those thoughts, that little tinge of hope springing up within her to remind her she really didn't know if Julie was Ben's girlfriend. For all the Validus knew, Julie was just another close friend. Like her.

"Elena!" Ben exclaimed, walking quickly towards her and dragging his... _Julie_... along with him by her wrist. "Elena, I want you to meet someone." Elena straightened up as she locked eyes with Julie, trying to smile but finding that it felt more like a grimace. Ben was oblivious, his face all sunshine and rainbows as he turned back to Julie for a moment, smiling at her (and her smiling back in kind). Elena didn't like how his gaze lingered on the Asian-American, though, and her hand shot forward as her lips thinned, the corners of her lips attempting to curve upwards.

"Hi, I'm Elena Validus." She greeted, and Julie smiled kindly, her hands soft and smooth as she customarily accepted Elena's hand.

"Hi, I'm—"

"No, no, let me do it!" Ben said, interrupting. Julie just giggled at him, and Elena tried not to look at their fingers that were entwined at their sides. Instead, she focused her dark gaze on Ben's vibrant one, the green of his irises sparkling in ecstatic happiness. "Elena, this is Julie," he started, his ivory teeth glinting in the sun. "My girlfriend."

Elena's heart was blank at the sound of her heart dropping to the floor.

...

...

...**  
**

Victor Validus had been a great addition (or re-addition?) to the Plumbers once Max was able to fix his files and add Elena to them as well. He was mostly a researcher, and spent his time studying all the different alien tech that Kevin brought back from their missions. Elena contributed to field missions, always there to add some extra back-up or butt-whooping. That's what she was good at, after all. Kevin was the tech expert, and the brawn. Gwen was the strategist, and the support. Ben was the leader, and the bearer of the Omnitrix. So there weren't really any shoes for Elena to fill, but that was fine with her.

She was just happy being there.

Although, Elena didn't think Gwen or Max felt the same way. Max still distrusted her a little bit, even though she proved him wrong about her father. And Gwen? Elena wasn't too sure about the redhead, but the Anodite seemed to harbour very negative feelings for her. She hid them most of the time, remaining civil and polite, although that negativity was beginning to crack. She seemed to respond kinder to Elena now, maybe because she started getting used to having her around. But they still weren't good friends, though, evident to the fact that Gwen turned down her offer to go to the mall in favour of completing some work Max had given her.

Elena's relationship with Max was strained. She preferred getting orders from her father, or Ben, so she wouldn't have to talk to him. He was intimidating, definitely, but that didn't matter to her. She had stood up against people tougher than him (or... so she thought). Elena supposed his distrust also came from Gwen's recounting of their tale, and the moment when it was revealed she had been lying about not knowing what happened to her father. But Elena wasn't going to rescind her actions. She did what she had to do to save her father, and that's all that mattered.

Kevin wasn't that tough of a nut to break. Sure, he got backtalk from Gwen every now and then about her, but it didn't seem to bother him too much. Elena supposed that after being in a relationship for two years, the nineteen-year old had gotten used to it. (That's not to say he still wasn't totally whipped.) The mechanic still didn't let her touch his car, though. And he constantly warned her about messing up the paint job or something when she walked by.

Ben... Ben was the most receptive to her inauguration to the Plumber business. He trusted her completely, so it wasn't that much of a surprise for him to be gung-ho about her joining. And they spent a lot of time together outside of work, since she had transferred into Ben's school. It was weird being a new kid when she was in her last year of high school, but Ben made everything comfortable for her by introducing her to a few friends of his. It was... sweet of him.

But that sweetness... it wasn't Elena's to hold.

...

...

...**  
**

"Hey Ed."

"Hey Ben. Hey Julie."

Pause.

"Julie! Hey! You're back from Japan?" Ed exclaimed, uncrossing his arms and smirking over at the shorter girl. He was behind the counter in his customary orange coveralls, his tattoos standing out against his white skin. Julie smiled, giggling and nodding as she smoothed a stray lock from her face.

"Yeah. It was a total culture shock for me, but it was nice spending time with my relatives." She commented, her dark eyes unusually bright. Ben stood beside her, apparently not listening to the conversation as he was too busy staring lovingly down at the top of Julie's head. He was debating whether or not to kiss her hair, and eventually ended up giving in to his desires and forcing Elena to turn her head to the side to escape the sight. "Ben, what was that for?" Julie asked, unable to keep her lips from curving up.

"I don't know. I felt like doing it." He answered honestly, a grin splitting across his face.

"Never took you for the mushy type, Tennyson." Kevin remarked from the doorway of the work room, cleaning his greased hands with a dirty, ragged cloth. Julie giggled at his teasing and waved to greet him, and he nodded back at her. "Jules. I see you're back from China."

"Japan." Ben corrected, and Kevin waved him off.

"Whatever. Did you check out their alien tech?" He asked. Julie nodded, tossing him a USB she fished out from her sweater pocket. "Pictures?' Kevin scrutinized the tiny flash drive, raising an eyebrow. Julie grinned, a smug look on her face as she answered proudly, "Blueprints," prompting Kevin to smirk devilishly and remark, "Nice."

Ben rolled his eyes, cutting into their conversation. "Come on. Let's go out to the back to tell Gwen and grandpa you're here." He urged, dragging Julie along. She giggled, but followed obediently and waved goodbye to Kevin. Elena trailed behind them, Kevin acknowledging her with a nod before he disappeared back into the work room. Elena stared at his retreating back, her lips thin as she wondered why Kevin gave Julie a nickname and didn't give her one. But she supposed it wasn't that big of a deal, and disappeared "out back".

...

...

...**  
**

There were so many emotions running through her at this moment, that Elena didn't know which was the most prominent. She didn't know which one she should pick. So the Validus went with the easiest emotion to feed off of.

She went with anger.

It was so simple to let it rage through her body, from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. She _liked_ the feeling, liked that it wasn't some complicated emotion that blamed her unnecessarily for something she didn't do. Because this _wasn't_ her fault. _She _was the victim; _her_. Not anyone else.

"Oh my gosh, Julie! I can't believe you didn't text me when you found out you were coming back sooner! I would've held a huge party, with a sort of Japanese theme, and served sushi and-"

Julie laughed, that high, tinkling sound like a tiny bell that made Elena want to crush it with her bare hands until it turned to powdered dust. The Asian just let Gwen hug her again, remarking that "oh, its perfectly fine" and "I just wanted to surprise you" and all that other junk. All of those sweet angelic little responses thaat made people fall absolutely smitten with her in every way. Those responses that, falling from any other lips, would sound fake and glorified but didn't because it was _Julie_ saying them.

"Julie, welcome back!" Max exclaimed, enveloping the tiny girl in a huge bear hug. She tried her best to hug back, still giggling in that damn bell-like tone. Elena was ripe with anger and jealousy as she saw the pure happiness on Max Tennyson's face when he greeted the little Yamamoto. It was a face that screamed he was reuniting with a long-lost granddaughter or something. Not the face that looked at you like you were scum under their shoes.

"Hi grandpa Max." Julie greeted, fueling the fire that burned in Elena's veins as she wondered why Max let Julie call him in an informal manner, but threw a fit whenever Elena so much as looked at him wrong. Everyone was still oblivious to her rising anger, though, and continued to talk merrily to one another.

"Julie, I'm so pumped you're here!" Gwen cut in, grasping Julie's hands. "I wanted to go to the mall because I saw this totally cute blouse I wanted to try on." She said, her face light and happy even as Elena's morphed into one of suspicion and disdain.

"I thought you had a lot of work to do." She cut in, drawing attention to herself and the flames that flickered in her eyes. Max looked at her with his own kind of disdain, scrutinizing her before he turned back to answer Elena's question to Gwen and Julie, and not her.

"I think I can make an exception." He said, chuckling when the two girls smiled brightly. "Go on and have fun." Gwen was quick to dash to her work station, throwing on her jacket and grabbing her purse.

"You didn't even have to give me permission, grandpa." Gwen said, giggling as she linked arms with Julie. "This is a special occasion. I think I can afford to miss a day of paperwork." She winked at her grandpa, who just laughed. But Ben wasn't so enthusiastic, and grabbed Julie to tug her to him, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Hold up a second," he cut in, eyes hard. "Julie's _my_ girlfriend, and I was the one who met with her first. I think I should be allowed to spend the day with her _alone_." Elena felt something stabbing through her heart, and let that imaginary blood trickling from her soul combine with the ribbons of anger burning flames in her body. But once again, no one noticed and she was left to let it burn brighter and brighter, harvesting that raw emotion.

"_Please_ Ben? The mall is having a sale day, and it's only for today!" Gwen pleaded, her green eyes sparkling with crocodile tears. "You can have Julie tomorrow. And look at it this way!" She continued, seeing Ben's stern facial expression. "Instead of spending only half a day with her today, you can spend the _entire_ day with her tomorrow!" Ben contemplated that for a few seconds, before smiling and agreeing. (Gwen did a little victory dance in her head.)

"Great!" Julie exclaimed, re-linking arms with Gwen. "Let's go find Kevin and ask him to give us a ride."

Ben and Gwen looked at each other, smirking.

Julie blinked.

"What?"

...

...

...**  
**

The car was sleek and black, with a stripe of dark green running along the front and the sides. Julie was flabbergasted as she stared at the vehicle, trying to wrap her head around the fact that this was _her boyfriend's car_.

"Nice, isn't it?' Ben asked proudly, ignoring Kevin's glare trained right on the back of his head. Julie just stared starry-eyed at it, almost afraid to touch the masterpiece.

"Kevin," Julie started, a wide smile blossoming across her face. "You're a _genius_!"

The Levin smirked, throwing his greased rag over his shoulder.

"I know."

Gwen rolled her eyes at her boyfriend, unable to stand his huge ego and opening the backseat door. "Let's go!" She complained, glaring at her cousin with her piercing green eyes. "That blouse isn't going to wait all day for me!" Ben rolled his eyes, starting towards his car. Elena watched him sauntering over to the driver's seat, the fire in her veins calming when she saw his strong shoulder blades rippling beneath his green jacket. She wasn't paying attention to much else, so it was a surprise to hear Julie speak up from beside her.

"Do you want to come Elena?" She asked, and Elena herself was flabbergasted.

"... what? Really? You... you want me to... to come?" There was a sense of acceptance in Julie's smile, sparking more confusing emotions to tunnel through Elena's heart.

"Of course. Why wouldn't we want you to come?" The Yamamoto asked, and Elena blinked as she tried to find an answer, but came up with nothing. Julie just giggled, tilting her head to the car in a silent gesture to go. So Elena went, automatically reaching for the handle of the passenger seat... that is, until Ben suddenly stopped her.

"Elena... what are you doing?" He asked. Elena blinked in more confusion, her hand pausing as her fingers lightly skimmed the surface of the handle.

"I'm... going to the mall with Julie and Gwen." She answered, as if that was the correct thing to say. Ben's eyes just narrowed, and he pointed to the backseat. Elena followed his finger, unable to stop the utter surprise when she realized he wanted Elena to sit in the backseat. "Why?" She asked, unable to stop the question from slipping out.

"Because Julie gets to ride shotgun." He answered simply, as if Elena was supposed to know that all along. She wanted to defend her right to sit in the passenger seat, unable to stop the thoughts of wondering why Ben was forcing her to sit in the back. Elena _always_ sat shotgun. That's how it always was during the missions. It was normal, and routine, and simple, and Elena didn't want it to change!

But she let it. She let it change, dazedly stepping over to the backseat door and quietly slipping inside, the flames in her body re-igniting when she saw Julie slip into _her_ seat. They burned even brighter when Elena heard Julie remarking to Ben that she didn't mind sitting in the back, only to hear Ben say she was being silly because, as his girlfriend, it was Julie's _right_ to sit shotgun.

'What happened to my rights to sit shotgun?' Elena thought, crossing her arms and shifting in irritation in the back, unused to the feeling of the seat and mentally growling at the fact that she wouldn't be so uncomfortable if she was sitting in the front.

"Are you okay, Elena?"

Elena looked up into Julie's doeful brown eyes, freezing when she tried to shift once more to find a comfortable spot. It was now that she registered Gwen and Ben looking at her strangely, Gwen more so with a glare than Ben's more genuine curiosity. _Julie_ just looked concerned, her slim fingers gripping the edge of the leather seat as she peeked over _her_ chair.

"Ah... I'm fine. Just... trying to find a comfortable spot." She said, leaning back and smiling unsurely as Ben shrugged, revving up the car. Gwen looked away, seemingly satisfied with her answer, but Julie continued to stare on, pursing her lips in worry. Elena grimaced, attempting another smile but failing as she gestured for Julie to look forward again. Elena opened her mouth to reassure the Asian-American that she was perfectly fine, wondering why it didn't sound that way when she spoke with a slight hesitation.

"Really. I'm just... not used to taking the backseat."

...

...

...**  
**

Elena sighed frustratingly, tossing her bike helmet nonchalantly on her desk in the Plumber's HQ. She ran a hand through her dark locks, plopping into her leather office chair and wondering to whoever-the-hell-was-out-there why it seemed like everything was falling apart around her. Wondering why that miniscule feeling of acceptance she harboured had been blown completely out of her reach, and she was left with the harsh reality of life beating hot rays on her leather-clad back.

"That's puppy love for you."

Startled, Elena turned around to see Kevin lounging at his work station, his feet clunked onto the glass tables and, as per usual, sporting his customary roguish grin while wearing his auto shop clothes.

"What are you talking about?" Elena asked, trying to keep up her on bad-girl facade by scoffing and leaning her hip on the edge of the table. Kevin just kept that all-knowing smirk on his face, swinging his legs onto the ground and standing up, his hands tucking into his pockets.

"You used the auto-pilot system I installed on your motorcycle to get back here, am I right?" He asked, the question more of a statement then an actual question as Elena remained silent. But Kevin didn't seem to mind it, smirking in pride. "So, how'd it pilot?" Elena rolled her eyes at his question, crossing her arms with a silent huff as she regarded him suspiciously.

"Worked like a charm." She answered a little snappily, pushing off the desk and attempting to leave HQ for a quick stop at Mr. Smoothie or the Burger Shack. But Kevin's next question stopped her, and she couldn't help the curiosity that bubbled up like hot magma.

"Jules is a real sweetheart, ain't she? Still makes me wonder why she'd agree to go out with Ben, of all people."

"She's okay." Elena couldn't help saying, unable to stop the slight distaste that ran from her tongue. Kevin just chuckled, and she turned her head to glare at him, wondering what was so amusing. "And just because you mentioned it, who wouldn't want to go out with Ben? He certainly isn't _you_." She mentally patted herself for the clever comeback, but Kevin didn't seem too fazed, simply raising her hands up in mock surrender.

"Guess I should've seen that coming." He admitted, smirking again. "But I suppose your answer doesn't surprise me too much, since you - oh let's see - have a _crush_ on our little Benny-boy?" His amusement only increased at Elena's flinch, knowing he had hit the right mark, and Kevin sighed almost in helplessness. "Poor, poor, biker babe." The mechanic lamented, looking to the ceiling as if that would provide answers for him. "If only you knew the _depth_ of little Benny-boy's feelings for Jules the shortstuff."

Elena couldn't help raising an eyebrow at the nicknames, but she cast that aside in preference for her curiosity unshackling from her brain. "You claim to know about Ben's _feelings_ when most of the time, you spend your time terroizing him psychologically and emotionally on like, _every _level?" Kevin just smirked again, tsking at the Validus with the small mind.

"You would be surprised how much Ben confides in me. Although it's not _that_ unusual, because I'm the only guy his age that's he comfortable enough with to tell his secrets to." Kevin's last words were spoken with a sort of hushed tone, as if the word itself would reveal untold amounts of information if not said in the right manner. Elena just rose an eyebrow suspiciously, prompting Kevin to add, "Gwen told me that."

"Thought so." The Validus muttered under her breath. "But I don't see why Ben's feelings for his _girlfriend_ have anything to do with me." She replied, raising an eyebrow defensively. "And besides that, what the hell was that whole 'puppy love' thing about?" Kevin glanced over at her, his smirk still planted on his obnoxious face.

"I'm talkin' about you and Ben." He replied. "Puppy love." At her confused expression, he continued, "you guys were tight back in middle school, right?" Elena nodded, and Kevin shrugged. "Well, you suddenly had to get up and go 'cause of your dad. Ben's feelings for you had to be put on hold, but they sprang up again when you came back. And with Julie away on vacation in China--"

"Japan."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. With Julie away in Japan, and his first crush from middle school back where he can see her, Ben's old puppy love feelings came back. For a little while."

Elena sighed, her dark eyes flickering to the floor. "Until Julie came back."

Kevin grimaced internally, not sure how to deal with heartbroken women. (Oh wait, what am I talking about? He's Kevin E. Levin!) "Let me tell it to you straight, Validus." Kevin said, never one to beat around the bush, nor the one to sugarcoat harsh truths. "Julie is Ben's first _love_. And if the two of them have any say in it, she'll be his _only_ love. All _you'll_ ever be to Ben is the girl on his soccer team he had a little crush on. That's all."

Somewhere in her heart, Elena knew that was true. She had known a long time ago, probably when her dark eyes set their gaze on Julie's ebony black locks... or maybe it was when Ben's eyes set their bright gaze on Julie's hair shining in the sunlight. She wasn't sure. She wasn't sure about a lot of things, but this one thing... this one _fact_ that she had denied for so long..._ this_, Elena definitely knew.

"I'm nothing but puppy love."

...

...

...**  
**

Julie giggled when Ben zipped around to her side of the car, opening the door and sweeping his hand out with a flourish. "Milady." He said with a fake British accent. Julie giggled, climbing out gracefully and mocking a curtsy.

"Kind sir." She replied in an equally ridiculous voice, unable to stop laughing with him when he burst into hysterical chuckles. They clutched each other's hands, leaning into to let their forehead's touch as their amusement died, and they were left staring deeply into each other's eyes. Green eyes against brown eyes, and the brown of his hair against the black of hers.

It was a perfect, splendid moment, like a snapshot of a movie that ended with a happily ever after. With _their_ happily every after.

Elena watched them from outside the auto shop, a lone tear slipping out and falling to the ground in one graceful trail. There was a backpack hiked on her shoulder, and her father was at his car, shoving in the last of their bags. She turned to him when he called out her name, his face uneasy and slightly worried when he took in her blank gaze.

"Elena, honey. Are you... sure you want to follow me to Canada to build a Plumber's branch there? I know how much you love it in Bellwood, and I wouldn't mind if you wanted to--"

"Dad." Elena said, stopping him with her firm, albeit shaky, voice. "I want to go - I _need_ to go, okay?"

Victor Validus stared long and hard at his seventeen year old daughter's face, before he straightened up, as if his decision was made. He slammed the trunk shut, nodding to Elena in an act of fatherly comfort. "Okay." He replied simply, turning around to head to the driver's seat. Elena watched him slam the car door behind him, and turned back around to look through the window into the auto shop again.

Blinking back the tears, Elena quickly whirled around to head to the passenger seat, sliding in and quickly slamming the door. As she buckled in her seatbelt, Elena wondered why this seat was so uncomfortable as well, like the backseat of Ben's car. She knew the answer to her question, of course, but the denial pushed it to the back of her mind, locking it away forever.

"Ready to go?" Victor asked, revving up the car and taking hold of the wheel. Elena breathed in heavily, her hands gripping the armrests as she fought the urge to look behind her, and lost.

"Let's go."

They were kissing.

...

...

...**  
**

**END**

_

* * *

A/N _And here are the fruits of my labour. A nice angst one-shot for Elena Validus from Ben 10: Alien Swarm. Because, seriously, where the hell was Julie? I didn't want to make her a villain or something though, because she is a good guy. Although I'm debating using her envious feelings for Julie to cause a little drama. I might do that for the next one-shot... but we'll see!

As a side note, Ben, Elena, Gwen, and Julie are all in their senior year of high school, and Kevin is 18-19. It explains Ben's license, and the underground HQ that was never there before.

Anyways, hope you guys like it! I especially liked writing this out. (Angst seems to be my favourite genre...)

As always, read and review!

Snowflake Flower


	8. Scars

**Scars**

...

...

...

"Ow! Damn it, Gwen, ease up would you?"

Julie paused on the welcome mat at Ben's house, his voice filtering out through the cracked front door. Kevin's car was parked on the sidewalk, and the DX Mark 10 was parked in the driveway, as normal. Gwen was chiding her cousin for being such a baby, and Kevin was silent but Julie bet that he was probably smirking at the hero's discomfort. She wondered faintly, on the cusp of revealing herself, what had happened this time. Ben hadn't replied to her text this morning, which meant that he was usually off saving the world again.

Not that it bothered her or anything. It was cool to have a superhero boyfriend. (Just not so cool when you hardly got to see him because of it.)

Julie rubbed her temples, sighing quietly. Really? She had to think of that now? It was bad enough that she lay awake at night, staring at her phone and hoping he'd call just so she knew he was okay. Was it too much to ask for a short reply? Then again, Ben was so forgetful she often wondered how he barely scraped by on his physics tests. Oh wait; that was her doing. Constantly coming over to help him study for school, unable to bask in his company when she knew that any minute, his watch or his cell phone would go off and it would be Gwen or Kevin or another Plumber. "Ben, where are you? I specifically told you to be at the docks today!", "Yo, brain-dead, get over here. The Forever Knights are being idiots again", "Ben Tennyson, we request your help with an escapee from the Null Void", and so on and so forth.

And he answered it every. single. time. But her calls? Oh, it's just Julie. I can get back to her anytime. But no. No, she couldn't think like that. There were more important things than her messed up feelings. What Ben did every day was more dangerous than just simply ditching her to go screw around at the arcade with Kevin. She couldn't think like this. She had to stop. It wasn't healthy, not for her, not for her relationship with Ben, and definitely not for Ben. If he knew how she felt, it would hurt him. She didn't want that.

Julie pushed the door open, a smile lighting on her face to mask the doubts that circled in her. She was Julie Yamamoto, the normal girl with the superhero boyfriend. She was his rock, she was the one constant thing in his life, the person who could make him feel like a normal teenager again. She gave him happiness, she gave him love; she gave him peace. When he looked at her, he saw all the people he was saving. And he could smile because of it.

"Hi Ben—oh my god!"

Julie stumbled when she tried to step forward into the house, her eyes wide with shock at the pile of bloody bandages littering the floor. Gwen looked up from bandaging her cousin's shoulder, and Ben waved casually.

"Hey Julie!" he exclaimed happily, as if there wasn't a huge gash on his shoulder that his cousin was presently wrapping with white gauze. Kevin was vegging on the armchair next to the couch where his Anodite girlfriend and annoying best friend was, watching the television. The delinquent looked up briefly at Julie's entrance, but turned back to the TV just as quickly.

"What happened?" the Asian girl asked worriedly, coming to Gwen's side as she gently placed her hand on her boyfriend's chest. His smile brightened when she neared, not at all concerned about the wound on his shoulder. Gwen pursed her lips, unsure if she should say anything. But she could never keep secrets from Julie. None of them could.

"Ben was an idiot and challenged a Forever Knight to a duel." Julie looked up in surprise.

"A Forever Knight? You mean those people that took Ship?" Her eyes slanted down in confusion, and she grabbed the gauze to relieve Gwen of med duty. "They did this to Ben? But even I was able to fight them." Kevin burst into laughter at that, gaining Gwen and Ben's glares.

"They were tricked out this time," he snorted in laughter, eyes still turned to the TV. "Had a laser-beam tank and everything." Gwen rolled her eyes at him, but Julie was listening raptly. Even if they had stronger weapons, the three of them always trounced the Forever Knights with little to no problem. What was the wild card in this battle, then? Gwen answered the question for her.

"And they were holding aliens hostage, Kevin," the Anodite venomously reminded the delinquent. He seemed properly chastised to Julie, but with Kevin no one could really tell. Besides, her main concern was Ben. She turned to him, looking at the injury, prodding it gently. He hissed a bit in pain, but grinned at her through the sting.

"It's nothing," he told her, but it didn't look that way.

"Will it scar?" she asked him, and he brightened at the prospect as he carefully slipped on his white t-shirt.

"I hope so! Scars are wicked cool." Gwen rolled her eyes and muttered something about teenage boys under her breath, but all it did was make Julie worry even more. She didn't think scars were cool. They might be inspirational – I survived, I'm still here; but to her it was just another reason why she hated that her boyfriend was the saviour of the galaxy. He was supposed to be hanging out at Mr. Smoothy and stuffing his face with chili fries, not rushing into battles and counting the scars afterwards.

Gwen seemed to sense her mood, or perhaps even sympathized with it. She kicked Kevin in the leg and made an excuse about needing to get home and do her homework, forcing him out of his vegetative state so he would drive her home. They said their short goodbyes, and Julie watched the door swing shut behind them. She wondered what it was like for the other girl, what it felt to be able to fight and to help, but to have to watch those that she cared about do the same.

"Hey, so I'm sorry I didn't reply to your text; Argit was being an annoying con artist again but this time it was weird cause he wasn't actually conning us—" Ben blathered on about their recent dilemma, as he was used to doing when he and Julie met up again. Normally she would laugh and smile and listen to him as he regaled the tales of his adventures, but this time she could only sink into the couch, staring at him with this unreadable expression on her face.

"Ben," Julie said suddenly, cutting him off. He looked at her with slight surprise, now registering her strange mood. "Do you get them a lot? Scars, I mean." He didn't answer her, his eyes now clouded and heavy as the seriousness of this question dawned on him. Wordlessly, Ben spread his arms wide open, and Julie fell into them with just a slight watering of her eyes. She could feel the medical gauze through the soft cotton of his shirt, and it only made the tears harder to hold in.

How many? She wanted to ask him, but found that she couldn't. And it wasn't because her lips were pressed tightly over his wound, or that he was hugging her so fiercely she couldn't break away.

It was because she didn't want to know.

How many times had he felt the cold steel of a sword? Or maybe it was an alien's claw. How many of them were burn scars? How many of them acid ones? How many times did have to hide that limp in his step, or the contortion of pain that came with being patted on the back in the wrong place? How many of them healed properly? How many didn't? How many faded away with time? How many of them stayed?

'_I don't want to know._'

She kissed his wound.

'_I just want to heal him._'

...

...

...

"Hey Julie!"

She turned away from her friend in history class, smiling as Ben strolled cheerfully towards her. The crowds parted smoothly, everyone deferring to him. He was their hero, their saviour. All hail the great Ben Tennyson, Ben 10, Saviour of the Universe, Hero of Earth. Julie's boyfriend.

"Hi Ben," Julie replied. He looked sheepish now as she saw him clearer. "Something wrong?"

"Gwen just called me. We got a distress signal from the Arachnachimp's planet, so I gotta go," he told her, and she nodded in understanding. They were supposed to go get some chili fries today, after school, but it didn't seem like that was happening. Not that Julie particularly cared he was cancelling their date; he did that a lot. It came with the territory of being a hero of the entire universe. No, she was more worried about something else.

"Be safe," she whispered softly, hugging him.

"I'll try my best," Ben replied, grinning. He turned to leave, but Julie reached out to grab his hand. He stopped and looked at her with slight confusion. Uncaring of whether or not her friends, or anyone else in the hall, could see her, Julie pulled the collar of Ben's white t-shirt down and gently pressed her lips against the faint line that ran across his collar bone. She smiled at him.

"Tell me all about it when you get back."

...

...

...

**END**

* * *

_A/N _Um... hi? :D


	9. My Hero

**My Hero**

...

...

...

"Thank you for bringing me back to Primus," Eunice said to Kevin, a graceful and grateful lilt to her song-like voice. The half-alien simply shrugged, resting his shoulder against the side of the ship, watching from the hangar with Gwen as Ben plodded down the ramp. Eunice watched him approach, appreciative of the confidence that lined every step, his gentle grin directed towards her and the softness of his beautiful green eyes as they locked with her blue ones. Her body was alight with feminine grace, unconsciously trying to show him her best sides.

"Anytime," Ben said, answering for his friend. "Call us if you get any more trouble." He stopped beside her, radiating masculinity and self-confidence, and she could not help herself. Eunice grabbed his hand. It was callused but strong, not that she was unaware of that. She peered up through her blonde lashes to see his smiling face, feeling shy and demure in his self-assurance.

"I wish I could stay with you," she confessed, blushing prettily. The soft rosy colour made her glow with the unfathomable emotion that was love and adoration. Everything about Ben captivated her, and the prototype found herself inching closer to him, wishing to bask in his presence a little longer. He smiled at her confession, resting his other hand on hers, making her heart pitter-patter at the warmth of his hand.

"I'll try my best to visit," he promised, and Eunice glowed with hope. Of course she understood that he was busy and wouldn't be able to see her very often. Such was the duty of being the hero of the universe, the bearer of the ultimatrix. She could not be selfish, could not ask him for more than he could give to her. But still in her heart, she hoped that he would come to see her again soon.

"I'll be waiting," she told him softly, quietly; a promise of her own. Quick as lightning, she brushed her lips against his cheek for the second time that day. Her lips tingled as she stepped back, unable to help the smile lighting across her face. Eunice almost couldn't look Ben in his vibrant green eyes, embarrassed that she had done something so bold twice in one day. He seemed surprised, but not disgusted which was a good sign. She waited in anticipation for his reaction, hoping dearly that he would kiss her too, but just maybe somewhere... different.

"Ben."

The two of them looked up at Gwen, who had her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed. "We have to go," she said through clenched teeth. Eunice's heart fell; she was hoping Ben could stay longer but alas that was the life of a hero. Always on the move, with someone or something to save. But she understood. And so she let him climb back up the ramp with no other complaints, her heart heavy with every thud his shoes made against the angled metal slab.

"Goodbye!" she called, waving as the sleek green airship took off into the sky. And silently, she sighed longingly to herself, "My hero."

* * *

The Rustbucket touched down inside Kevin's garage, a different one from where his car was stored. Ben stretched as he walked outside, never really used to sitting in one place for an extended amount of time. Behind him was Kevin and Gwen, the latter with a scowl on her face. It had been there for the rest of the trip home, but she hadn't spoken up about what was bothering her so Ben didn't bother to ask.

"Okay, I'm going to Julie's," Ben said, waving nonchalantly at them as he headed to his car parked just outside the garage. "See you guys tomorrow."

Gwen looked like she wanted to say something (when did she ever not have something to say?), but he had already slid into the driver's seat and started the engine, the powerful roar of his DX Mark 10 overpowering his cousin's voice. Without a second thought, Ben put the car in drive and sped off, his headlights blaring in the darkness.

Ben made a quick stop for smoothies and chili fries before heading back home where he knew Julie waited. They had planned a study date tonight, after he got back from saving the world again. He texted her when his cell got reception as Kevin landed the Rustbucket, so it was no surprise for Ben to see his front door open and his girlfriend sitting causally on the couch, flipping through the channels.

"Hey," he greeted, and she sat up at his arrival. "I got you a smoothie." He handed her one of the two cups nestled in his arm and put the chili fries on the coffee table. She smiled at his thoughtfulness, sipping through the straw to taste her delighted strawberry and banana mixture.

"Mmm, my hero," she said, cuddling the cup. He grinned, sitting next to her and eyeing the stacks of physics books on the table.

"Any chance of giving your hero a break from math for one night?" he asked her sheepishly, and she smirked.

"Nice try Ben, but we have a test in two days and you missed practically every class. You'll fail if you don't get at least a B." His shoulders slumped and he sighed, but reached for a textbook.

"Alright, let's start then," he grumbled, and Julie laughed softly, patting his shoulder.

"C'mon Ben, it's easy. You just need to concentrate," she told him, flipping the textbook he grabbed to a specific page. There were a list of questions and some formulas listed, all gibberish to his untrained eye. Already, Ben could feel his head spinning as he attempted to make sense of the mathematical formulae. This is why he preferred fighting aliens; everything was so clear-cut and simple. I mean, who used letters to solve math problems? Letters couldn't be added or subtracted or anything like that! (Sometimes he wondered about human intelligence.)

The studying went late into the rest of the night, and he meant that in the very literal sense. There was no hanky-panky, except for maybe the one moment Julie leaned into him to read one of his answers, the side of her chest pressing lightly on his arm. His mother checked up on them in the early evening, but she had long since gone to bed. Ben hadn't even noticed how late it had gotten until Julie cursed softly under her breath.

"It's past my curfew," she said, getting up and packing her books into her bag. Quickly, Ben grabbed his car keys and gestured to the door.

"I'll drive you home."

* * *

The ride was mostly silent, but it was a comfortable silence. From the corner of his eye, Ben caught Julie stifling a few yawns and smiled. She was so cute when she was sleepy, he thought absentmindedly to himself. Personally, Ben had sort of gotten over the not-getting-enough-sleep thing. It came with the whole Hero thing, not that he minded. He napped in class, so it sort of balanced out.

Sort of.

With barely a whisper (god he loved this car), they pulled up to Julie's house. The curtains were drawn and there wasn't a sliver of light to be seen, which meant that the Yamamoto's had gone to bed already. The click of the seatbelt unbuckling brought his attention back to Julie, who was grabbing her bag from the backseat. "Thanks for the ride," she whispered. Ben wondered faintly why she was whispering, but Julie was the smart one so he just followed her lead.

"Thanks for helping me study," he replied. "See you in class tomorrow?" She smiled and nodded, quietly opening the door but was stopped partway. Ben's hand rested lightly on her arm, and she turned to him with a tinge of confusion on her face.

"What is it Ben?" she asked after seconds of silence passed. He hesitated for another moment, but then reached out with his other hand, his fingers skimming her cheek as he turned her head to face him. They lingered, but dropped and went to his face to tap on a spot on his cheek.

"Don't I get a thank you kiss?" he asked her impishly. Julie struggled to stifle her smile, but the smile won out. She bent forward, her lips tickling his cheek as she humoured him. The girl would have pulled back and got out of the car that next second, had Ben's hand not cupped her chin, mildly startling her. The temperature in the car was average, but his hand was warm on her face. Their eyes locked, and faintly, Ben thought that he loved that Julie looked at him so boldly, so straightforward and true.

"Y'know, I'm still having a bit of trouble... with the homework," he told her, his hand dropping from her cheek. Ben figured it was a good sign that she didn't move away, her face still a hair's breadth from his. Instead, she smiled, her dark eyes laughing at the exaggerated worry on his face.

"Yeah, I know," she replied. "I'll come over tomorrow to help you study." He smirked teasingly.

"Even if you miss curfew?" She giggled.

"Yeah, even if I miss curfew."

Ben smiled.

"My hero."

...

...

...

**END**

* * *

_A/N_ This was meant to be short. Apparently my brain doesn't do short. Rejoice, my readers, for it is 3am in the morning and I should be asleep. I have sacrificed sleep to complete this so you may bask in more Benlie fluff. And what Benlie fluff it is!

So does anyone else notice I'm a bit more ambiguous in this chapter than in the previous one? Less thought process, more description. Do you prefer this writing style or the other one?

And just for fun, anyone want to try dissecting and analyzing this chapter? I purposely wrote this with ambiguity in mind, so you guys would look for deeper meanings and subtext and all that good stuff. Let me know, I'm curious as to how you'll interpret this.

Snowflake Flower


	10. I Want A Car!

**I Want A Car!**

"It's so ridiculous!" Gwen complained, leisurely sprawled on her bed, holding her phone up in the air. "He built Ben a car, and they can hardly stand each other sometimes!"

"Ben and Kevin have gotten better though, haven't they?" Julie asked, her voice distorted by the sound quality of Gwen's cell. Still, the Anodite could hear the amusement underlying her best friend's tone, and scowled. "At least that's how it seems to me. I haven't heard Ben grouching about Kevin recently."

"It doesn't matter," she said flippantly. "The point is: he built Ben a car and absolutely refuses to build me one. And I'm his girlfriend!"

"Maybe he wants to drive you everywhere himself. I mean, doesn't he pick you up every morning for school? If you got a car, then you'd stop seeing him so much," Julie reasoned.

"That's ridiculous. We fight aliens together practically every day; I see him all the time," Gwen argued, sitting up. "It would actually be better if I had my own car, so that he wouldn't have to go out of his way to pick me up and get us to the rendezvous point. I could just meet him there!" Exasperated, Gwen threw one of her hands up in the air, and then brought it down to cup her cheek.

"I don't know Gwen. I still think it's because he wants you to have to depend on him for a ride," Julie said, and in her bedroom she was smiling widely, knowing exactly what kind of reaction her comment would bring.

"THAT IS SO CHAUVINISTIC—"

_Tok tok tok._

"AUGH! Sorry Julie, I have to go. Someone's at the door." Gwen dragged herself off her bed unwillingly, holding the phone to her mouth.

"Can't your parents get it?" she asked. Gwen pouted as she tromped down the stairs.

"They're out at this convention thing," she informed dully. "I'll talk to you later." Faintly, she heard Julie say goodbye before she hung up. Pocketing her cell, Gwen opened the front door, her eyes narrowing at the person on the other side.

"Don't slam it on me," Kevin said quickly, catching the edge as the door tried to swing shut. He pushed the door open, towering over Gwen as she glared up at him, arms crossed. "Look, I know you're mad at me for the car thing, but are you gonna keep ignoring me?" he asked, almost nonchalantly if she didn't know any better, if she didn't know him well enough to know that tinge in his voice that told her otherwise.

"That depends," Gwen shrugged, turning away. "Are you going to build me a car?"

"... no."

Kevin had a feeling he got it wrong when she spun to look at him, her eyes glowing magenta with the full scope of her Anodite powers. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" he exclaimed, hands up as he inched backwards slowly off the welcome mat. "Gwen, chill, just because I said I won't build you a car doesn't mean I'm not gonna build you _something_."

Surprised, the pink glow faded from Gwen's eyes, restoring them back to their green glory. She tilted her head at him, crossing her arms again. "What's that supposed to mean?" Kevin smirked and gestured outside.

"She took me a couple months to make. I was gonna give her to you for your birthday, but I figured now was as good a time as any."

When Gwen stepped out onto her lawn, she saw a shiny new motorcycle parked on the curb, sleek and smooth in the trademark Plumber colours of black and green. The coat of polish rubbed over it glinted in the sun, and for a moment Gwen thought it was just an illusion; a mirage.

"A motorcycle?" she asked in awe, afraid to touch it, as if doing that would make it disappear.

"Yep," Kevin confirmed, undeniably proud of his creation and of the dumbfounded look on his girlfriend's face. "It runs mainly on gas but you can plug it in and fuel it with electricity." Gwen swung her leg over the bike, resting her hands tentatively on the handlebars. She flexed and loosened her hands, feeling around her new mode of transportation.

"Kevin, it's beautiful," she whispered, and he cleared his throat nervously. His hands enfolded hers, taking them off the bike.

"Careful." He reached over, fiddling with the handles until they slid open, revealing a set of four small panels inserted into each of the bike handles. Gwen looked curiously at them and then Kevin. "The bike runs on mana too. You just push some of your mana into the handlebars, and these panels will convert the mana into energy for the bike to use." He paused here, rubbing his neck. "Just... don't use it unless you have to. The speed of the bike depends on how much mana you give it, so you can get tired pretty quickly."

Kevin was about to launch into a set of instruction for how to care for the bike until Gwen launched herself at him, burying her face in his shoulder.

"Thank you so much!" she said, kissing him on the cheek. "This is the nicest thing anyone's done for me." Kevin just smirked and shrugged.

"It was nothin'."

"Still, thank you," she whispered, and this time kissed him on the mouth. He tensed, a bit surprised at the sudden display of affection, but took it in stride when his arms wound around her waist. He was just getting comfortable with her smaller physique pressed up against his broader one, when Gwen pulled back with a frown marring her face. "Wait..." she muttered, staring suspiciously at him. "Kevin. I don't know how to drive a motorcycle."

Kevin, instead of acting surprised like he probably should have, simply smirked and shrugged again. "Yeah, so? Learn." Gwen stepped back, breaking away from him and putting her hands on her hips.

"It takes months to get your motorcycle licence. I have to study for my permit and then practice and take classes, which I hardly have any time to do between school, karate and saving the world." She arched a brow at him for an explanation, knowing she wouldn't get one. And she was right when he just grinned at her. Gwen sighed, turning and looking balefully at the beautiful bike parked on the curb in front of her house. She wasn't going to be driving herself places anytime soon.

"Let's go for a drive. Burger Shack?" Kevin asked, twirling his car keys. Gwen shook her head exasperatedly, but looped her arm through his and walked towards his car parked in the driveway. She didn't bother asking him if she could drive; she knew what the answer would be.

Faintly, Gwen thought that Julie was actually quite right. Kevin didn't want to make her dependent on him; he just wanted to spend more time with her. (The osmosian looked down and smiled at her when he caught her staring, and she smiled back.) And maybe for the next year or two, Gwen could live with that.

"Hey, you'll drive me to my motorcycle lessons, right?"

* * *

"You built her a bike?"

"Yep."

"Dude, you are so whipped."

"Shut up Tennyson."

_Faintly, in the distance: "Oh wow Gwen, I'm so jealous."_

"..."

"..."

"Hey... Kevin?"

"What Tennyson?"

"You're not going to build Julie a motorcycle... right?"

**END**

* * *

_A/N _So I thought I'd mix it up a bit and give you some Gwevin. I haven't written them in awhile, so apologies if they seem out of character. And No, I will not be addressing Julie's recent character derailment from recent episodes for a few reasons. One: I want to wait until the canon Julie spam is over (ie, after The Perfect Girlfriend) so that I can hopefully kill three episodes with one rant, and Two: I'm honestly just at a loss right now. She's Julie, but she's not _my_ Julie. I don't even care about her "aggressiveness" in Techadon (to be honest, that amused me), its that fake-hostage trick she pulled off in The Flame Keeper's Circle.

Julie. Does. Not. Do. Deceit.

So yeah. Me angry.

On a happier note for you guys, the next chapter is going to be ridiculously long, I think. Maybe. Probably. Most likely. (I should stop now.)

See you on the flip side! :)

Snowflake Flower


	11. In The Days Before

**In The Days Before**

...

...

...

* * *

_What if the strands of your hair were memories?_

* * *

She was fourteen, an eighth grader both scared and excited to start the next school year as a high school freshman. She had already taken a tour of her new school, asked around about the tennis club and introduced herself to some of her future teachers. Everyone could already tell what a success she was going to be, how she was going to change the world with her bright enthusiasm and gentle benevolence. They were nodding their heads when she told them she would be attending Bellwood High, the premier high school of the area. Had it even been a question?

Apparently, it had for the young Julie Yamamoto.

"H-hi Logan!" she stuttered as she casually passed by Logan Hoffman's locker on the long way to her homeroom. Wisps of his blonde hair were slicked back, and he turned his grey eyes to her.

"Hi." He looked back at his locker, grabbing a few textbooks and then shutting it. Julie peered curiously at the stack in his hand, brightening when her eyes caught a familiar title.

"Oh, you're reading _The Great Gatsby_?" she asked, but shrunk back in on herself when he scoffed at the mention of the book.

"It's so boring," he said. "_The Chrysalids _is better." Julie stammered out her, "oh yeah, it was so much better," only to trail off at the ends when someone shouted Logan's name from the end of the hallway. He waved a hand in greeting to them, and without another word caught up with the cheerleader who linked arms with him. Deflated from the subtle dismissal, Julie turned a corner and slowly made her way to homeroom, skirting to the side when a group of rowdy jocks blundered down the way. She hadn't even gotten a chance to ask him if he was going to Bellwood High.

Sighing, she ran her hand through her long, black hair and figured she'd just ask him in math class later. They sat next to each other, surely she'd have a chance. But that cheerleader sat on his other side, and the two of them were always jabbering about one thing or another. Usually parties they had attended together, ones that someone like Julie would never be invited to. Not that she'd _want_ to go, mind you. She'd much rather practice tennis instead of drinking foul-tasting beer and doing stupid things. But... if Logan was there...

Not that he'd even see her. Julie hung her head and her hair framed her face, hiding it from the world. He didn't even care that she was alive. She was just this annoying girl that bothered him every now and then. He was civil to her, but that's all he would ever be, she supposed. Still, her heart hinged on him, and she wished he'd look at her one day and think, "Wow."

But that was stupid. So stupid. She knocked herself in the head just as she entered homeroom, and a few of the kids looked weirdly at her. Julie flushed red, ducked her head down and shuffled quietly to her seat at the front of the class. She really had to stop doing that. Then again, everyone already thought she was a freak so what was the point? Groaning almost silently, she slammed her forehead on the desk.

Julie refused to look back up. They were definitely staring at her now.

But that was okay. Her hair were the perfect curtains, draped around her and blocking out the rest of the world. She didn't see them, and they didn't see her. When the teacher came in, Julie lifted her head, her face a perfect mask. Showing weakness to anyone would be suicide in her school. They would all just sneer and laugh at her. But she found solace in the veil of her black hair framing her face. It was her shield, as strange as that sounded.

By the time math class rolled around, Julie was accustomed to building the shield, only to have it fall apart once she caught sight of Logan lounging in the desk beside hers. He was grinning and laughing at his friend, leaning back in his chair. Absently, Julie thought he'd fall over but he never did. She took her seat next to him, her hands slipping when she tried to put her books down. They all tumbled to the floor, banging loudly.

'_Damn._' She thought, blushing in embarrassment. She bent down to pick them up, and when she looked up Logan was staring at her. Her heart sped up; she froze.

"Logan, you goof, listen to me!" the cheerleader whined, slapping Logan's shoulder. "I can't believe you picked Bellwood High! Don't you know I'm going to Madison High? What were you thinking?"

Logan laughed and said something in response, but Julie didn't hear it beyond the elation that suddenly spread through her. He was going to Bellwood! They were going to be in the same school! She ducked her head again to hide her smile, sitting down. That cinched it. She would tell him today. Julie Yamamoto was going to tell Logan Hoffman that she liked him.

When the last bell rang, Julie let the phrase circle around her head. "I will tell Logan that I like him." But when she hid behind the corner and watched him load up his backpack at his locker, she chickened out. It was too soon. He didn't know her that well, and she him. Maybe she'd just try to get to know him more. Invite him out for a smoothie, perhaps? They would be going to the same high school. She had plenty of time to become friends with him. She'd work a bit fast, there was always the threat of a new girl in high school.

So Julie resolved to do that over the summer. She'd be friends with Logan. But then summer came, and she found no time for anything. Tennis was almost a full-time occupation at this point. She was on the tennis court for most of the day, and had no time to hang out at the mall or a popular fast-food place. During the times she did, either Julie didn't see Logan anywhere, or saw him with a huge group of friends and chickened out. It was very frustrating.

Time was running out. Summer was ending, and back-to-school ads were already popping up around the town. Out of desperation, Julie skipped a day of tennis practice to hang out at the mall, where she once again saw Logan surrounded by his friends. It was disheartening, but miraculously he broke off from them to grab a smoothie at the food court.

This was her chance! Julie stood behind him in line, gathering up the courage to say hello. She tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned around, confused. She gave him a shy smile and waved. "Hi Logan."

He gave her a weird look. "Uh, do I know you?"

Shocked, she stepped back a bit. "Oh, um, I... I sat n-next to you. In m-math class? J-Julie, remember?" she said, mortified and dropping her head, letting her hair shield her once more. But looking up from beneath her fringe, she could still see him scratching his head in confusion.

"Sorry, doesn't ring a bell," he shrugged, and turned his back on her again. Shaking, Julie pivoted on her foot and fled from the mall, finding solace in her tennis racket, tennis ball, and the stone wall at the playground near her house. For the rest of the day she was there, sweat pouring down her face, mixing with her tears. She knew her first heartbreak would be hard, but it was so much more painful than what she had anticipated.

It grew dark, and Julie finally packed up and headed home. Her mom called her for dinner, but she didn't go. She just stood under the hot spray of the shower, eyes red and puffy. When she finally got downstairs, her dad berated her for skipping practice. She mumbled her apologies and then was sent to bed after her mother forced a bowl of rice down her throat.

After that day, she threw herself into tennis practice. Logan Hoffman had forgotten about her, hadn't even acknowledged her existence because she was so invisible to him. Julie was going to make something of herself, then. She would be somebody he would remember. She would be somebody that no one ever forgot. Julie would live up to her teacher and her parent's expectations.

Julie would help change the world.

"Hey, hey, slow down Yamamoto," her coach called, but she sped up. Her breath rasped from her body, and her muscles were sore. The other tennis players were surprised. They had never seen Julie so passionate before. Focused, yes. Precise, definitely. But this sheer determination and hardness was different. It was like she was fighting with something, fighting against something that if she lost against, would destroy her. And maybe they were right.

Julie fought for her sanity.

When the new school year, and the new school, rolled around, Julie Yamamoto was making a name for herself in her tennis club. Her coach was going on and on about entering her in contests. She was a newbie, but a damn good one. Still, once school started Julie knew that half of her time would go into studying. Despite her newfound love for tennis, she knew that her education was just as important. Her parents expected nothing more but excellence from their little girl. It would be hard to split up that time though, and she had to start making a schedule for herself to keep on track.

It was during this time, when she was scribbling in her itinerary while walking down the halls, her hair shielding her face, that Julie tripped over something. She fell forward, her books sprawling all over the place. There was a whispered curse before she scrambled to collect them. She was reaching for one of her books when someone suddenly picked it up and handed it to her. Startled, Julie looked up, and was immediately captivated by a pair of stunning green eyes.

"Here, you dropped this."

Julie blinked.

"Hello?"

"Oh!" she exclaimed, jumping hastily to her feet. "Th-thank you!"

"No problem," the other student grinned. Julie blinked owlishly through her hair. "See ya!" he called out, running off. Julie watched him go, taking note of the soccer jersey he was wearing. Emblazoned across the back was "Tennyson". For the next few days, the name stood out in her mind, and she found herself lingering after school to see soccer practices, hoping she'd catch sight of him.

Her coach got mad one day when she came to practice late again. "You're gonna get creamed in this tournament, Yamamoto," he said to her. "Get here on time. And cut your damn hair!"

Julie touched it, the black strands of her hair. She always kept it in a ponytail for practice, but somehow the idea of a new cut was appealing. So, during the weekend, she visited a hair salon and asked them to cut it short.

"You sure honey?" the beautician asked, sweeping her fingers through the strands. "It would be a shame. You have beautiful hair."

Julie paused, taking a moment to look at herself in the mirror.

"Yes. I'm sure."

The next day, when she got to school, Julie was smiling brightly. Her head felt so much lighter as she walked to her locker. And she had no tennis practice today; coach decided to give her the day off. "Go do whatever it is high school kids do nowadays," he told her. Julie was a little at a loss for what to do, since she had never really had much time to herself once she threw all of it into tennis. But the new haircut seemed to be working for her, because suddenly Julie found herself talking happily to some of the girls in her class. They were complimenting her on her new look.

"Most people can't pull off the short look," one girl said matter-of-factly. "But it looks awesome on you." Julie thanked her, and they ended up sitting together at lunch. Julie met some of her friends, and somehow managed to agree to tag along with them to get smoothies at Mr. Smoothie. She'd only ever had protein shakes, but the strawberry and banana smoothie was a delight. Soon enough, the tennis player found herself going back again and again.

For the rest of the year, she made new friends. She excelled in tennis and got straight A's on her report card. Logan passed by her in the halls sometimes, but honestly he was a merely blip on her radar. Her friends giggled and told her that once he turned back to look at her, but Julie just smiled and shrugged. He was no concern anymore. His opinion became unimportant to her. And soon enough, she forgot about him.

Summer was fun, as Julie divided her time between tennis and friends. They often lounged around at Mr. Smoothies or went to get chilli fries. Her coach would have a fit if he found out she was eating chilli fries, but they were just so deliciously _good_. She didn't care what anyone thought; she loved it to bits.

During one of these days at the chilli fries place, Julie recognized Tennyson. He was with his soccer teammates, probably hanging out after practice. Her friends saw her staring and pushed her to go talk to him, but she steadfastly refused. Still, when he left with his teammates, Julie found her eyes following him. She mulled over it a little bit, and for the rest of the summer she thought about him.

When the new school year arrived, Julie was once again at her locker, scribbling into her planner. There was a little thunk beside her, and she peered over her locker door to find Logan grinning down at her. "Hey Julie," he said. She looked at him for a long moment, and then answered.

"Hi."

He seemed a bit nervous when that was all she said. He was used to receiving smiles and giggles accompanying a reciprocated greeting, but Julie's piercing eyes and blank expression unsettled him. "I'm Logan."

"Nice to meet you, Logan," Julie said, grabbing a few books. Her friend called to her from down the hall, and Julie closed her locker, completely ignoring Logan as she caught up with her friend. Her friend had briefly glanced at Logan, wondering what that was all about. But when Julie didn't broach the subject, she knew it was unimportant and so chattered on about the English essay that was due that day.

"Oh, hey, are you going to that soccer match today? We're up against our rivals," Julie's friend said. "If we win, we'll be the champions!" Julie shrugged. Coach gave her the day off today. She supposed it wouldn't hurt to help support her school's soccer team. It _was_ for the championship.

"Sure, sounds like fun."

When she was sitting in the bleachers and cheering with her friends, Julie recognized the offensive player who scored the winning goal. "Tennyson."

"You should go talk to him," her friend suggested. Julie smiled.

"Maybe I will."

* * *

_A/N_ Practice in a new writing style. Thoughts? And I apologize if I haven't uploaded in a while. (University is a lot of work.) I literally stayed up until six in the morning to write this. Even though I'm still not tired. Note to self: don't drink coffee at ten'o'clock at night.

Snowflake Flower


	12. A Thousand Candles

**A Thousand Candles**

...

...

...

* * *

It's dark, but when he leads her into the room her face lights up his whole day. The floor is filled with small candles, all flickering gently in the dark. He leads her to the picnic blanket laid out in the centre of the room, with the two wine glasses and the bottle of merlot red wine. She's laughing at him, asking him what this is all for. She can't remember being mad at him for anything recently, and he simply shrugs and pours her some wine. She eyes him suspiciously, but sips the wine anyways and decides she should cherish this moment while she has it. Ben is hardly ever romantic of his own volition.

They talk of everything, as is their way when they find that gem of a moment to be together. She tells him of the new tournament on Khoros, how they invited her to play in it. He says she is at a slight disadvantage, you know, because Tetramands have four arms, not two. But she is confident, ever-smiling as she says it wouldn't matter if they had an extra pair of legs to go with their arms, she'd still beat everyone. He tells her of Gwen and Kevin, how his cousin's hair seemed to be going white from all the stress she accumulated in her job as President of Earth, or how Kevin likes yelling at the new recruits in his Plumber Tech shop. He tells her of himself, of the adventures he's taken to other planets, of the fights he's fought on Earth itself.

They talk well into the night, when the both of them should be asleep. But Julie is comfortable on his shoulder, and he likes the smell of her shampoo. The candles have long gone out, and the moonlight is too dim to see well. But Ben is used to the darkness, used to finding a way even when he was blind in more than just the eyes. He searches for her hand, marvelling slightly at how tiny she is compared to him, how he's grown so much since they were sixteen. She's sleeping against him; he recognizes the pattern of her gentle breath. It is now that he takes out the white-gold ring in his pocket, feeling it between his callused fingers. He can barely see it in the moonlight, but he's already memorized everything about it. There wasn't much to remember, it was quite simple as engagement rings went. Gwen and Kevin had argued vehemently with him about the simplicity of it (it didn't even have a diamond!), but he was adamant. He always knew Julie liked simple things. She liked things like this, sharing a bottle of wine in the night, surrounded by the soft glow of a thousand candles, talking to each other. She liked it when he dropped by after hero hours, bringing her chili fries or a smoothie or Japanese mochi just to say hello. Just to find an excuse to say hello.

Ben didn't want to find excuses to see her anymore.

He wants to come home and see her watching TV, see her look up when she hears the door shut, smile at him and say "welcome home". He wants to smile at her through a mouth full of foamy toothpaste, making silly faces while she tries not to laugh and spit all her toothpaste out. He wants her to nag him about throwing his dirty socks all over the place, complaining that he never picks up after himself. He wants to watch her cook in his kitchen that's too big for just him. He wants to see her wear an apron, and burn her finger on a hot stove so he can make it all better. He wants to watch his giant closet fill up with her pink sweaters and tennis skirts and tennis shoes and purses and girly accessories. He wants to fill his king-sized bed with her and him together, side-by-side. He wants to fall asleep feeling her stroke his hair, and wake up looking down at hers.

Her hand is soft and slim, and he turns it over a few times in his hand, running his fingers along her knuckles. The ring is a perfect fit, and he breathes a sigh of relief because he thought for sure he'd gotten her size wrong. But no, it's perfect and she's perfect and together they're even more perfect than Ben realized.

She shifts against him, sighing softly. "Ben?" she murmurs softly, and he hums in reply to let her know he's there. Her cheek falls against his chest. "Did the candles burn out?" she asks him. The smells of the scented candles permeate the room, and they leave small wisps of smoke that blend with the lavender and honeysuckle and cherry blossom. They went out slowly, one by one according to which ones he lighted first and which ones he lighted last.

"Yeah, a few hours ago," he says. She nods absentmindedly. Julie wakes slowly from her light nap, sighing contentedly.

"Thank you for tonight," she whispers to him. "It was really sweet of you."

"It was nothing," he says, grinning. "Just a couple thousand candles; no big deal." Julie laughs throatily. She knows it was more than nothing. He probably asked Gwen for advice, and annoyed Kevin into helping him. Gwen and Kevin probably took over Ben's hero duties for the day so he could set this up. He probably had to ask for a day off too, which is exceptionally difficult for him to do since he's Hero of the Earth.

"A thousand? That's a lot of candles to light," she teases. He doesn't shrug, because it will disturb her position against him, so he just chuckles.

"A thousand's not that much," he boasts quietly. "I can beat a thousand aliens. I probably own a thousand medals. And I've raised an army of _more_ than a thousand soldiers to fight with me. Not to mention I've saved at _least_ a thousand planets—"

"Okay, okay," Julie laughs, cutting him off. "Maybe a thousand isn't that much when you think about it in aliens or planets or medals." She stops there, but Ben senses that there's something else she wants to say. He waits patiently, and he knows that the next time she speaks it won't be a joke anymore. When she's silent and contemplative like this, Ben knows she's not looking for his slapstick humor or his goofy jokes. She's asking him to forgo the happy-go-lucky mask he wears, to show her the soldier for just a moment.

Ben knows she feels the ring on her finger. Julie never wears jewelry; she finds it troublesome to take on and off when she plays tennis, so the foreign feel of it on her finger would be immediately apparent to her. He knows she's looking at it now, as best she can in the dim light. He knows she knows what it is. She plays with it, twisting it around and around her finger, feeling the intricate etchings, the cool metal. It glints faintly in the light, just barely, and she holds her hand up to the moonlight.

"How about a thousand years?" she asks. "Will you love me for a thousand years?"

He kisses her. Because he will love her for much more than that.

* * *

_A/N_ And again. I stayed up til four in the morning to write this, no coffee required. Inspired by Christina Perri's music video A Thousand Years, and written to commemorate Ben and Julie's first (real) kiss.

Snowflake Flower


End file.
